


Little Gladiator

by Skyfire511



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Golden Age, Minor Character Death, Pre-War, Sparkling Bumblebee, Transformer Sparklings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 41,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23216632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyfire511/pseuds/Skyfire511
Summary: Transformers Prime AU: In the waning vorns of Cybertron's Golden Age, Bumblebee grows up to be a fearsome gladiator under Megatron's tutelage. But there's more to Bee than meets the eye. Where did he come from? A Decepticon Bumblebee story where Megatron acts as Bee's sire.
Relationships: Bumblebee & Megatron, Megatron (Transformers)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 32





	1. Bumblebee

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm also on Wattpad and FF.net under the same name. FF.net has the way more updated version, but I'll be putting it on the other two as well.  
> I DON'T OWN TRANSFORMERS!  
> Enjoy the chapter!

"Megatron! Megatron! Megatron!"

The cheer reverberated in his audio receptors long after the match was over. Today had been his hardest match yet, but he still came out victorious and without a scratch. Megatron was currently making his way towards the pit master's office because of another phrase he couldn't get out of his helm.

"My office. Soon as Hook clears you."

Megatron hoped that the boss just wanted to tell him to have a day off. After all, he had a perfect record going all the way back to his first match. He thought he deserved some down time to relax, if only for an orn or two.

When he reached his boss's door, he didn't bother to knock before coming in. The pit master didn't bother to reprimand him as the gladiator made himself comfortable leaning against the closed door.

"Ah, Megatron. So good to see you in good shape, especially after last match," the pit master greeted him.

Megatron, who was not in the mood for such pleasantries, said, "What did you want me for, Pitbull."

"Of course, I'll just cut right to the chase." Pitbull leaned back in his chair and reached under his desk for something. "If you had a sparkling that could do anything you wanted, what would you want it to do?"

"What kind of question is that?" Megatron asked.

"One that decides whether or not you're the right mech for the job," he replied calmly.

"Leave me the frag alone, that's what I'd want it to do."

"Good. Everyone else either wants it as a slave or an experiment, and Soundwave has enough cassettes as it is. Hold out your arms, it's yours."

The pit master unceremoniously dumped a tiny newspark into Megatron's outstretched arms. He started at it in mild shock before turning his optics to the mech in front of him.

"What do you expect me to do with this thing?"

"Raise it to be a gladiator like you," Pitbull said as if it was obvious.

"You want me to take care of this scraplet?!"

"Frag no. I want you to mentor him. Turn him into a ruthless killing machine by the time he's 50 vorns old. That's when his first match is."

Pitbull dropped a rusted pet carrier on top of his desk and gave him the key to the lock.

"Use this to keep it out of the way when you're not training it. And make sure you beat it up for the smallest things. Don't want it to get soft-sparked." He motioned for Megatron to leave. The large mech just stared at the newspark, then the crate, then the pit master, then back at the sparkling. "Well, go to your room and break it in."

The still-confused mech stuffed the bitlet into the pet carrier and walked back to his room. Surprisingly, he met no one else on the way there. Once back in the safety of his quarters, he took the creature out and placed it on his lap.

Megatron noted that 'it' was a 'he.' The newspark was primarily yellow with black accents. Most of the paint was faded, though, and his frame was littered with dents, cuts, and patches of rust. The comically large doorwings protruding from his back were laid back and quivering with fright. His oddly shaped cerulean optics were leaking with coolant as he looked at the stranger in fear. The poor thing couldn't have been more than a vorn old.

The large mech gathered the little one close to his spark and let it reach out for him on its own. Soon enough, he stopped trembling and looked at Megatron in confusion.

"Hello, little one. My name is Megatron. Can you tell me your name?" The bitlet chirped and warbled in reply. "Hmm. I guess I'll have to name you myself. Something fierce and memorable."

He looked at his color scheme and thought how much fiercer it would looked" reversed. Right now, it reminded him of the tiny cyberbees of the Crystal Gardens. Little, bumbling insects that flew around and pollinated the metallic flora even though it was scientifically impossible for them to even take off. Even had a nasty sting.

Ha.

Impossible, bumbling little bees.

"Bumblebee."


	2. Goodnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I OWN NOTHING!

Megatron waited until midnight to sneak out of his quarters with Bumblebee curled up in his arms. He took the crate with him just in case, but he saw no one else on the way to Hook's medbay.

The medbay could hardly be called such as it was just a large room with multiple energon-stained berths, an assortment of medical tools cleaned as best as possible without proper sterilizing solution, and one medic, Hook himself. Hook never left the medbay, even at night, in case of an emergency, choosing to sleep on one of the berths. However, this served Megatron well tonight.

"Hook." No response. He raised his voice as much as he dared. "Wake up, Hook!"

Hook jerked upright and took a few nanokliks to process the sight in front of him. "I thought your reproductive protocols were offline."

Megatron smacked him and snarled, "Pitbull gave him to me to train, but this scraplet won't last a day if he's hurt."

Hook scrambled off the berth and gathered his tools. While he scanned the sparkling he asked, "So, did Pitbull grace the little one with a name? Or did he leave that honor to you?"

"I named him Bumblebee. Like the cyberbees in the Crystal Gardens," Megatron answered.

Hook smiled and said, "Certainly suits the little bugger." His scanner beeped to tell him it was done and he looked at the results. "Dents, cuts, rust, a touch of malnutrition, and a stressed spark. I'd say he was born here by a breeder, but he's mostly Iaconian-Praxian with those doorwings."

Megatron looked at Bumblebee. The bitlet just nervously looked at his surroundings while he squirmed under Hook's care.

"Be still, Bumblebee. I need to fix your boo-boos." No matter how the medic held him, the newspark just wouldn't keep still. Getting a little annoyed, Megatron grabbed him by his doorwings and shook him with gentle force.

"When I bring you here, you are too keep still for Hook! Do you understand?!" Megatron growled. Bumblebee curled in on himself, but stayed still and quiet until Hook was done.

"Well, that's him patched up. Bring him here every other cycle so I can make sure he grows up right. Otherwise you have a healthy, if slightly malnourished, little newspark," Hook said with a quick smile for the bitlet.

"Yeah. One I have to train to kill by the time he turns 50 vorns old. I don't know why Pitbull thought I was the best choice to mentor him."

"Because Pitbull wants you to take him under your wing, not into your berth," Hook explained as he handed Bumblebee to Megatron, who held the newspark at arms length while he fidgeted nervously.

"I don't want anything to do with the scraplet!"

"You named him, didn't you?"

"I did."

The medic gently pushed the newspark closer to Megatron. "Then raise him! Be harsh when you're being watched, but make sure he knows someone has his back in private. The kid needs you."

Megatron sighed as he looked at the tiny mech in his arms. Bumblebee shivered occasionally. From cold or from fear, Megatron didn't know, but he held him more securely anyway. The newspark calmed immediately at the reassuring beat of the gladiator's spark and fell into recharge soon after.

"I suppose you're right," Megatron conceded.

"I know I'm right," Hook said. "Now, get back to your room before someone notices you're missing."

After a nod from both, Megatron made his way back to his room, pet carrier in one servo, Bumblebee in the other. Once again, he met no one on the way there and returned with none the wiser about his leaving. Looking between his berth and the pet carrier, he took a spare blanket and lined the bottom of the crate with it before placing Bumblebee inside. He mewled quietly at the loss of warmth.

"I apologize, little one, but if anyone were to know that we are close, we could both be killed." Bumblebee blinked slowly, as if in understanding. Megatron closed the door if the crate and put the lock in without actually locking it. After all, it's not like a newspark is smart enough to figure out how to open it.

"Goodnight, Bumblebee," Megatron whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually don't know how Hook is. From everything I've read, he's willing to help both sides. So I apologize if he seems off. Same with everyone else. Pitbull is my OC (pretty sure that's the right term). You won't see too much from him. Thank you for reading! Please drop a review if you have time!


	3. Out of Excuses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still don't own anything.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

As usual, Megatron woke to the sound of the internal alarm going off in his processor. As usual, he stretched to straighten any kinks in his protoform that might have formed during recharge. And as usual, he got up and fixed his berth. (Cleanliness was next to godliness, after all. Even in this Primus forsaken pit.) It was then he realized that something was off about his berth; it was missing a blanket.

'Where did I put that blanket?' he thought to himself as he walked around the foot his berth...

Only to trip over a pet carrier on the floor.

Now he remembered last orn's events. He had a match, he talked to his boss, and he got a newspark to tutor.

Megatron placed the crate on his berth and took off the lock. Looking inside, he found Bumblebee wide awake and shivering. The yellow bitlet tentatively crawled to the gladiator and mewled quietly.

"Is that whining I hear, Megatron?"

Megatron turned around to see Pitbull standing in his doorway. The mech looked smug for reasons he couldn't dream of as he stared at the pet carrier and Bumblebee.

"Is it your business as to whether or not my trainee cries?" Megatron asked.

"Everything that goes on in this pit is my business. But I'll let last night's trip to the medbay pass so long as you carry it in the crate from now on."

The gray mech's optics widened a fraction in surprise, but quickly narrowed in anger. "Just how do you expect me to raise this scraplet? He needs line-fed energon, waste tanks, more time than I care to waste on him!"

The pit master just waved a dismissive servo at him and said, "There are bottles of low grade in the rec room for it and I'll have the stuff for changing it placed in your room while you're out today."

Running out of excuses, Megatron stopped arguing. "Fine. When do you want me to train him?"

"Let it watch you for a while, force it to stand as soon as possible, make it work through the motions, etcetera."

"And what did you mean by 'beat it up for the smallest things'?" Megatron asked.

"You know. Crying, mewling, whining, yelping, making too much noise, signs of weakness, the list goes on and on. I want him tough, merciless, cruel, ruthless, deadly, the works! The next Megatron, really!" Pitbull received a cold glare at that comparison. "Ha ha. Not that you'll need replacing! I mean, you're the Megatron! The undefeated champion gladiator of the Pits of Kaon! Everyone loves you!"

The gladiator exvented heavily and looked back at Bumblebee. The tiny ball of metal looked at him through coolant-filled optics. Megatron sneaked a glance at Pitbull before sneaking a wink at Bumblebee and shaking him by his doorwings once again.

"Crying is for weaklings! Dry those tears!" he shouted.

Bumblebee lowered his helm and wiped the coolant off his face with his tiny servos. Then he rubbed his abdomen and pointed at his intake.

"You're hungry?" Megatron asked. Bumblebee's nodded. "At least you're smart. Back in the crate, Bumblebee."

"'Bumblebee' is a weak name," Pitbull said, walking forward to pick up the newspark. "I get where you're coming from, but my newest killer needs a better name than that."

"I named him after the cyberbees in the Crystal Gardens."

The boss held the bitlet by his scruffbar."Wasp? No. Stinger? No nickname. Hornet. No way. Why is this so hard?"

Megatron raised an optic ridge. "You do realize that there are full-grown mechs who will run away from cyberbees, correct?"

"Yeah, but 'Bumblebee' is so... cute!"

"Then I will make sure his opponents fear him. 50 vorns from now, his actions will speak louder than his appearance. Cybertronians from all corners of the planet will flock to see his fights. You have my word."

The pitmaster looked long and hard at Megatron, his prize gladiator, and Bumblebee, the odd newspark. Finally he said, "I suppose it's good enough for now. You should introduce him to the others. You only have half a joor left for your early orn ration." He then left the room.

Bumblebee, now back in his crate peeked up at Megatron. _Chirp?_

"I suppose I have to keep you now."

_Purr_

Megatron sighed. "Come on, little Bee. We have a lot of work to do."


	4. Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know how disclaimers go.

Newspark in pet carrier and pet carrier in servo, Megatron ignored the stares he got from his peers as he made his way to the rec room. Like the medbay, the rec room wasn't much. It was the second largest area, besides the arena, so it could fit all the mechs and femmes that came for their rations; filled with rickety chairs and wobbly tables; and had one holoscreen on a rusting wall, its edges beginning to chip away.

The gray gladiator set the crate down on an empty table. He looked around for the low grade Pitbull had talked about and spotted it across the room. He grabbed a bottle of the stuff and a cube of his mid grade and sat back down at his table to find his closest peers there too.

"So, Megs," Scythe said, "What's inside Mystery Box #1?" Scythe was a sky blue femme with sandy tan accents along her sides. She had many tantalizing curves that would make most mech's lubricate at the sight of her, but she was not available. She wielded her twin scythes with deadly skill and could behead you in less than a nanoklik.

"It's not a box, it's a pet-"

"But it feels like a sparkling," said Soundwave. He was a lanky, purple and black mech with a visor instead of a face. Although he looked very fragile, his frame was actually very sturdy. What he lacked in physical strength he more than made up for with his telepathic abilities, speed, tentacles, and cassettes: Ravage, a cat, and Laserbeak, a bird.

"Well, it is-"

"Woah! You got sparked?!" Dagger exclaimed. "Wait, I thought your reproductive protocols were offline?" Dagger was a black mech with silver accents on the edges of each plate of armor. He had a serpentine alt mode and used it to crush his opponents in his embrace, though he was no sneaky snake. While in root form, his jagged knives only missed his enemies if he wanted them to.

"Shut up and let me talk!" Megatron yelled. The rec room went quiet until they realized the fierce gladiator wasn't talking to them.

"We're all audials, Megsy," Scythe said with a wink.

"Don't call me that. Last orn, the pit master gave me a newspark to train until his first match. He's in the crate now."

"A real sparkling?!" Scythe nearly squealed. "Can I feed him?"

Megatron raised an optic ridge but handed the bottle to her and said, "Be my guest."

"Aw! He's so adorable! What's his name?" the blue femme asked as she cradled Bumblebee like he was made of glass and raised the bottle at the perfect angle for him to drink. Bumblebee's optics lidded lazily as he suckled the low grade. The others looked at her like she had gone mad.

"Um? Who are you and what did you do with Scythe?" Dagger asked.

"Come on, Dags. It's not every orn you see a sparkling, especially a newspark, especially here! In the pits!"

"Well, your femme programming is going to have to shut off. I'm not allowed to coddle him," Megatron informed her as he reached for the bitlet.

She smacked his servo away. "I'm the one who's coddling him."

"Well..." Megatron trailed off as an idea popped into his processor. "If you want to take care of him so much, you can change his waste tanks. Primus knows I don't want to."

"And I know you don't know how," she retorted. "Seriously, what did you name him?"

"Bumblebee."

"Like the cyberbees in the Crystal Gardens?" Soundwave asked.

"Those things? They're so cute and killable!" Dagger laughed.

Megatron leveled him with a flat stare that had him ducking his helm. "A single sting could hurt at best and kill at worst. Even the most seasoned mech will run from a swarm of them."

"Hm. Don't you have a cyberbee allergy, Dagger?" Soundwave casually jested.

"Oh yes." Megatron rolled with the joke. "What else would explain the sight of you screaming like an aristocratic femme last cycle." The black and silver mech spluttered and hissed in embarrassment, eliciting a roar of laughter from the surrounding Cybertronians.

That moment splintered off into another when a loud slurp signaled that Bumblebee was done with his low grade, followed by a tiny burp.

Megatron quickly snatched the bitlet away from Scythe before she could protest and placed him in the pet carrier. "Okay, scraplet. You've had your fun. Time for training."

Suddenly, his peers looked concerned. "Training?" Scythe asked. "Surely the pit master doesn't want you to train a newspark!"

"Then you don't know what he wants," Megatron said. "It's not like I'm going to shove a blade into his servo and say 'destroy the training drones'. He can watch first while I try to get him to stand up."

"That's reasonable for a 1-vorn-old," Soundwave admitted.

"I suppose that's why I'm doing this. Come, on. I think our usual spots are still empty." Megatron got up to head to the training room with Bumblebee while the others followed him.

"And if not," Dagger said, "We can just scare the dumb newbies who thought they could train there!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Scythe and Dagger are mine. Made them up off the top of my head. I might make an origin story for them someday.  
> I know Soundwave has more cassettes. Unfortunately, I only know Laserbeak and Ravage well enough. For as AU as this is, I don't want anyone to be too out of character. (That's OOC, right?)


	5. Watch and Learn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is now completely posted on FF.net. I will be posting the rest of this on here soon, so please leave your thoughts if you like it.  
> As usual, I own nothing.

Dagger's words turned out to be true. The five newbies who thought they could train in their corner were easily frightened by the sight of an angry Megatron and a faceless Soundwave. But one mech was stupid enough to try and hit on Scythe while he scrambled away.

Correction: tried.

_WHAM_

Scythe always hit back.

"AHH!"

Right in the ball bearings.

"When will they ever learn?" Soundwave asked, feeling a ghost of the rookie's pain no thanks to his telepathic abilities.

Ignoring the other three, Megatron set the pet carrier down and let Bumblebee peek his helm out.

"Your training starts now, Bumblebee. Watch us. Try to copy us. Okay?" Megatron said. Bee nodded and tried to reach up for him. "If you want to be with me, you'll have to stand up."

Bumblebee tilted his helm and clumsily tried to get to his pedes. By now, the others had started to pay attention to the interaction between the tough gladiator and the helpless newspark. Megatron guided Bee's tiny servos to the edge of the crate. Being a smart little scraplet, Bumblebee managed to hold himself up with the crate on shaky legs.

"Well look at that," Dagger said with a half-smile. "The little fragger- OW! SCRAP, FEMME! WHAT'S YOUR DEAL?"

"We've got little audials listening in, Dags! Watch your language!" Scythe scolded him.

If looks could kill, Dagger's optics would be throwing knives at the femme that slapped his face. "It's not like he knows what we're talking about."

"This morning, he told me he was hungry by rubbing his midsection and pointing to his intake," Megatron said with a hint of... pride? "He's a smart little scraplet."

"That's for sure," Scythe agreed. "Come on, boys. We've got a whole corner to ourselves and four joors to enjoy it until break. Close range or servo-to-servo?"

"The latter would be more useful for Bumblebee to watch," Soundwave said.

"Good enough for me." Dagger clapped good servos together and stretched to remove some last-breem kinks in his protoform before lunging at Scythe, who merely sidestepped him.

Megatron sneaked a word to Bumblebee. "Watch and learn, little one."

The four joors passed by in a flash of sharp claws and quick movements. Bumblebee watched it all, enraptured by the deadly dance. He especially paid attention to how Megatron moved. He noticed how his new caretaker dodged and ducked, weaved and waited for the right moment, then struck at certain places.

He didn't know how he could or that he could even do it, but Bumblebee recorded it and stored it in an important part of his processor to analyze it when he could figure out how. For now, the bitlet was content to wave his arms in an attempt to mimic the bigger bots' moves. Once in a while, he collapsed onto the frayed mat floor, but he was quick to get back up as soon as he could.

By the time mid-morning break rolled around, everyone was ready to collapse.

"Whew! I feel alive!" Dagger exclaimed.

"That's a very good thing, Dags," said Scythe. "It means I can still kill you next time."

"Oh ha ha ha. You should become a comedian. Go live in Altihex, or something."

"At least she'd get out of this pit," Megatron said dully. He approached the swaying newspark and smiled. "It seems Bumblebee had a busy training session too."

"Aw," the femme cooed. "He's all tuckered out. I wonder how hard he trained."

"You call standing in one place training?" Dagger scoffed. "I wish!"

Soundwave stepped up. Security footage of their session came to life on his visor's screen. The gang watched as little Bee tried to mimic the moves they had made. When they looked back, Bumblebee had literally fallen into recharge. They sighed at his antics and Megatron moved to put him back in the pet carrier.

Suddenly, a rancid odor assaulted his olfactory sensors. "What is that smell?" He asked.

"Must be Dagger. I know he didn't go to the washracks last orn," Scythe jested.

"Hey!"

"But in all seriousness, it's probably Bee. It must be time to change his waste tank."

Megatron pushed the bitlet into her arms. "You agreed to change him this morning. You do it."

"Fine, but you're coming with me," she said while dragging him behind her.

"Aw, scrap- OW, FEMME! WHY?"

"SWORE!"


	6. Changing

Since she didn't actually know where they were supposed to change Bumblebee, Megatron had grudgingly dragged her to his quarters where Pitbull had said he was going to have a station installed. Sure enough, there was a table covered by a thin sheet with pouches containing fresh waste tanks hanging by the sides. A portable incinerator had been placed nearby to completely dispose of the used tanks, thank Primus.

"Well, let's get started! We're lucky he's in recharge, otherwise he might be fussing right now." Scythe said, laying the recharging Bumblebee on the table. She noticed Megatron slacking off on the other side of the room. "Well, get over here!"

"I'd rather watch how you do it," he said, smirking. It was quickly wiped off his face when a scythe embedded itself in the wall right next to his helm. "Coming!" he said in a rather high pitched voice.

Scythe laughed and guided his servos with her own on how to change Bee's waste tank. It was a quiet moment, punctuated by Scythe's occasional comments. Twenty-three breems later, Bee had a fresh waste tank and the adults were sitting on Megatron's berth, drinking their energon with Bee in Scythe's lap. Soundwave and Dagger had stopped by earlier to drop off some energon.

For some reason, they had left the room giggling. Must have been an inside joke.

"So," Scythe started.

"So," returned Megatron.

_Chirp?_

"Yes, Bee?" the femme cooed.

_Click Chirp Whir_

"Is that so?"

_Click Purr_

"Really?"

_Whir Click_

"That's fascinating!"

Megatron watched the impromptu conversation between the adorable sparkling and the beau - uh - blue femme.

Yes, Scythe was blue. And tan. And pretty. Cool! Pretty cool.

"Do you know how Pitbull got a hold of Bee, Megsy?" Scythe asked, snapping Megatron out of his thoughts.

"No, I never thought about that," he replied. She had raised a good point. Where did Pitbull find him?

"Oh, I wish I could've gotten him. I would never hurt you. Neva eva. Right, sweetie?" She blew into Bee's stomach and laughed at his happy clicks of laughter.

"Why didn't he pick you?"

"Hmm?"

"Pitbull said that everyone else wanted to abuse him and that only I didn't want to. But you wouldn't hurt him either. So why not you?"

"I know, right? Pitbull needs to get his story straight. Do you want to hold Bee?"

Megatron held out his arms to receive him. The bitlet curled up near his spark and fell into recharge there. The duo watched his vents come and go one at a time, a steady tempo of air.

Scythe checked her chronometer. "We've got ten breems until second shift. Wanna join me?"

"I thought we always trained together?"

"Well..." A shy smile played on her lips. "I was thinking about having a few joors off. Together."

Megatron's optic ridges shot upwards. Were his audials deceiving him or did Kaon's most eligible gladiator bachelorette just ask him on a date?

Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?

"S-sure. Where to?"

She chuckled, "I'll let you decide."

Slowly but surely, they scooted closer and closer until-

_BOOM_

"DAGGER!"

"It's not my fault I'm so large!"

"Idiot."

"You're an idiot."

Dagger and Soundwave had come crashing through the door that mysteriously opened on its own.

"What are you idiots doing?" Scythe demanded to know.

"Nothing," Soundwave said.

"Spying on you," Dagger said at the same time. They looked at each other and Soundwave slapped him.

"Bigger idiot."

"In what sense?"

"All of them!"

"I suggest you four stop arguing," said a new voice, "and come to my office immediately.

The group looked to see Pitbull looking smug and angry at the same time, if that was possible.

"Why?" Megatron asked.

"Don't ask why! It is not your place!" He threw a pet carrier at Megatron, the same one they forgot in the training room, blanket included. "I told you not to forget that. Make sure you bring it inside that." He turned and left.

The three mechs and femme were silent for a moment.

"Should we go?" Dagger asked.

"We can't not go. Can we?" said Scythe.

Megatron looked at the little bitlet recharging in his arms. He watched it turn over in blissful peace, oblivious to everything that had just happened.

"If we were directly told to bring Bumblebee, it can't be good."


	7. The Second Option

Megatron's instincts had been correct. The moment they all stepped into Pitbull's office, sturdy guards with jet black plating blocked the door and flanked them.

"I'm so glad you could make it here," Pitbull said with false cheer as he yanked the pet carrier out of Megatron's servo. He shook it roughly when Bumblebee yelped from the sudden motion.

"Make it quick, Pitbull. We've got places to be," Megatron said, skipping the pleasantries for the second time in two orns.

"Do you now? Does it have anything to do with going on a date with a certain femme?" Scythe and Megatron both managed to control their blushes, but they did shift their weight from pede to pede where they stood.

"Did you really think you could start a relationship without me noticing? What were you going to do? Become the bitlet's creators?" They shifted again, this time oblivious to the other's similar movements.

"That... thing cost me over 3,000 credits! Now I see that I wasted money on a weakling and time on my champion gladiator!"

"Your champion gladiator?" Megatron scoffed. "I belong to no one!"

"You belong to me!" Pitbull yelled. "I was lax with you before. After all, you were undefeated. I didn't think anyone could bring you down. But the stands aren't as full anymore because they already know you're going to win. I'd say it's time I cut my losses."

"Was undefeated? Cut your losses? What are you rambling about?" Megatron demanded.

"You have one option and one alone if you want to stay alive."

"Say whatever you want, Bull! We won't do it!" Scythe yelled.

"Stay out of this, femme!"

Megatron stared long and hard at the pit master before saying, "Name your option."

"Lose a few matches. Just one or two. Then I'll let you keep your friends."

"What?! The audience will lose faith in me!" Megatron protested.

"And you will lose your training partners if you don't agree," said Pitbull, his optics blazing like fire, yet bearing into him coldly.

"Where does Bumblebee stand in this agreement?" Soundwave asked.

"Nowhere," he replied like it was nothing of importance, which, to h"You belong to me!" Pitbull yelled. "I was lax with you before. After all, you were undefeated. I didn't think anyone could bring you down. But the stands aren't as full anymore because they already know you're going to win. I'd say it's time I cut my losses."

"Was undefeated? Cut your losses? What are you rambling about?" Megatron demanded.

"You have one option and one alone if you want to stay alive."

"Say whatever you want, Bull! We won't do it!" Scythe yelled.

"Stay out of this, femme!"

Megatron stared long and hard at the pit master before saying, "Name your option."

"Lose a few matches. Just one or two. Then I'll let you keep your friends."

"What?! The audience will lose faith in me!" Megatron protested.

"And you will lose your training partners if you don't agree," said Pitbull, his optics blazing like fire, yet bearing into him coldly.

"Where does Bumblebee stand in this agreement?" Soundwave asked.

im, it wasn't. "I'll see if I can get a refund. If not, I'll just sell him to some night club."

"You can't do that!" Scythe gasped. "He's only a little more than a vorn old!"

"I'll do what I like!" Pitbull roared. Then he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose I can make a second option. You'll all have an opportunity to save each other's lives with this one. Even the bitlet."

"Yes," they said simultaneously.

A wicked smile twisted his face. "Good." He pressed a button on the side of his desk and even more guards entered the room. They immediately seized the four comrades, Megatron requiring twice as many as his companions to hold him down. The original two guards moved to guard the pit master. Pitbull pulled out an energy lash from his subspace and threw it at one of the guards next to him.

"Whip them until they're all begging for mercy." The guard smiled sadistically at these orders.

"What?!"

"No!"

"You can't!"

"We won't let you- AHH!"

Megatron was the first to fall prey to the stinging whip. He refused to give any more signs that he was in pain, though. But after the thirty-seventh lash, his back plating was shredded along with parts of the protoform underneath it. His were vents coming in slightly ragged and his struggles had lost some of their power. The others stared at him in shock. Megatron, undefeated champion of the Pits of Kaon, brought to his knees, energon pooling beneath him.

"Start on the others," Pitbull barked at his henchmechs. He dragged Bumblebee out of the crate by his doorwings. "Make sure they see what happens to the scraplet they were so quick to fall in love with. Ha! Love!"

Scythe, Dagger, and Soundwave, all struggling to help their friend, were quickly brought to their knees as well. Soundwave's chassis rattled as his symbiotes demanded to be released to help their dock. But the faceless mech didn't want them to witness what was happening. They were safer inside him.

"As for you, bug. I might as well have some fun before I get my refund." Pitbull said, relishing in the screams Bumblebee made as he shredded his doorwings. He then slammed him on the floor and pressed down on him with his pede.

Bumblebee's optics flickered.


	8. Dead

Megatron had known Bumblebee for all of one orn, maybe less. Yet in that short space of time, he had gotten to know a wonderful life. Bumblebee was an adorable, intelligent, determined little scraplet, and the gray gladiator didn't want to see that little light extinguished. None of them did.

So when he saw Bee's cerulean optics flicker and his golden paint pale, some ancient coding in him came to life.

Megatron threw off the unsuspecting guards holding him with a strength he didn't know he possessed. The black-clad mechs transreadied their weapons, but Megatron was faster. He wasted no time in blasting a hole straight through four of them with his wrist-mounted ion cannon. They scraped at the gaping hole in their sparks before falling over, dead. When they were too close for firearms, he unsheathed his blade and cut through the rest of them like they were made of butter.

Megatron then turned to the nine guards holding down his friends. He shot two of their helms off, allowing Dagger to lash out against the last one holding him. The serpentine mech threw one of his knives straight through the optic of a guard, piercing his processor. Scythe took care of the last two holding her by elbowing their solar plexuses and beheading them with her scythes. Meanwhile, Megatron and Dagger each dispatched a guard restraining Soundwave. The faceless mech then shocked the last guard to death with his tentacles. Megatron whirled to face Pitbull, killing the last two mechs guarding him, to find the pit master dangling a limp Bumblebee by the throat. "One more move, Megatron, and the scraplet gets it."

"What about your refund?" asked Dagger.

"His seller's only request was that I get him killed. Might as well make good on my end of the deal." He started to tighten his hold. They all stepped forward at the sound of the weak metal threatening to snap under pressure.

"Ah, ah, ah." Pitbull's claws dug into Bee's neck. The little sparkling whirred in pain. Fat drops of energon formed where the mech squeezed him.

"What do you want!?" Scythe yelled.

"I want you dead! You're ruining the hierarchy of this pit! Slaughter City will surpass is if I have to deal with upper-caste wannabes like you!"

"As if the caste system applies here!" Dagger scoffed.

"Of course it does!" He jerked the newspark towards them. "Why do you think his sire had his carrier killed!"

The moment Pitbull jerked him close, they all jumped into action. Dagger and Scythe stepped back to allow Megatron room to pierce Pitbull's armor and crush his spark with his bare servos. Meanwhile, Soundwave stepped forward to catch Bumblebee as he fell from the former pit master's slackened grip. He handed the unconscious newspark to his caretaker.

Megatron took the lead. "Take Bumblebee and go to the medbay."

"What about you?" Scythe asked.

"I have an announcement to make. Go, I'll meet you there."

Even with a slight limp, Megatron looked regal and imposing. He pressed a button on the PA microphone and started to speak.


	9. No More

::Fellow Cybertronians! For too long we have chafed under the pit master's rule, but no more. For he is dead!:: Even from the office Megatron could hear distant cheering from his peers.

::But what's to keep something like this from happening again? Another ignorant master. More mindless deaths without recognition. For that is what I, what we, came here for: recognition.

::We came from a life of poverty, and hunger, and hardship. We came seeking recognition, a calling, a voice to call our own! Many of you, like myself, started out nameless. Just a string of numbers and letters. Many of you, like myself, were tired of watching your peers die or be abused around you while nobody gave a frag!:: He could just imagine Scythe swearing to beat him up for cursing over the PA where Bumblebee could hear him. If he were conscious, that is.

::But though we came here seeking a better life, too many of us are still dying. We are made to fight for the crowd's amusement. They throw their credits to us because they have nothing better to do than sit on their fat, lazy afts-:: Oh he could totally imagine Scythe tearing into him ::-and cheer for the deaths of our friends, our brothers- and sisters in arms. But no more!

::Even here, we are suppressed by the caste system. The arrogant nobles are amused by our deaths as if we are just puppets in a show! The pit master throws us into the arena to fight as if we are just toys for him to break! But no more!

::No more can we tolerate this blatant abuse of rights! No more can we allow the mindless deaths of our comrades! No more can we permit an ignorant master to crush us under his pede!

::So I ask you, brothers, sisters, friends, are you willing to stand behind me? For together, we can make right the wrongs of the caste system. Together we can fight for our freedom rather than our lives. Together we can work towards a better future for not only ourselves, but for all of Cybertron. Are you with me!?:: Megatron could hear the rallying cry of his name through the office walls. A chant that he had heard just last orn.

"Megatron! Megatron! Megatron!"

"Megatron!" Hook burst into the office. "Come on, you big lug. Before you leak to death."

Megatron allowed himself to be led to the medbay. The hallways were lined with mechs and femmes cheering for him, pledging to follow him until the end. Until a better tomorrow. At one point, the crowd was so dense Hook had to brandish his blasters to scare everyone out of the way.

Finally, they made it to the medbay, empty except for two mechs, a femme, and a sparkling. Hook led him to an empty berth next to them and started to work on his wounds.

"An energy lash. Never knew Pitbull had it in him," Hook commented.

"Neither did I," Megatron agreed. "How are the others?"

"The adults will be just fine if they recharge for now and take it easy later."

"And Bumblebee?"

"He's pretty resilient for a newspark, but he'll need to stay here for a few orns, possibly a cycle or two. I want to be able to monitor him easily in case something happens."

Megatron nodded, then winced when Hook started patching up a particularly sensitive part. He only grunted once, though, when Hook had to shove his armor back into place.

Hook patted him on a spiked shoulder and said, "Okay. Just rest for now." He noticed the gray mech looking over to Bumblebee. He smiled and carefully handed the bitlet to him. "Don't touch his wings, don't hurt him, don't drop him, and don't disconnect anything. Other than that, don't let the scraplets bite." He smiled and settled on a berth himself before dimming the lights.

Megatron checked his chronometer. The end of fourth shift already? He looked to his friends, deep in recharge. He watched Bumblebee curled up over his spark. 'Wow,' he thought. 'Time really flies when you're with family.'

Megatron closed his optics, and knew no more.


	10. Ping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I OWN NOTHING!  
> And that's the last time I'll say it.

"That's it, Sweet Bee. Left punch, right punch, left kick, right kick, repeat. Great form!" Scythe praised Bumblebee. At 32 vorns, the little sparkling was doing very well. He could kick and punch with near-flawless form and already knew a Cybertronian's most vulnerable weak spots, most below knee level. He seemed to grow even sweeter and even more determined, pushing himself to be smarter and stronger while still being their little light.

At this moment during second shift, it was Scythe's turn to impart her knowledge to Bumblebee. She worked with Dagger every orn during second shift while Soundwave taught Bee useful tactics during first shift. Third shift comprised of a mock battle with either Soundwave, Scythe, Dagger, Megatron, Ravage, or Laserbeak. First shift had academic lessons by one of Megatron's newest followers, Shockwave.

Shockwave could be described as cold, though it is more precise to say that he is emotionless. He had once been a lively mech, sharing drinks and memories with his fellow senators. He had already been arguing for more rights for the lower castes when he heard Megatron's speeches. But a greedy senator had seen to it that Shockwave could no longer argue for equality with an empurata. This only made the purple mech more convinced that the higher castes were corrupt and needed cleansing. He was happy to join Megatron then.

But that's beside the point. Right now, things are about to escalate.

_PING!_

Megatron, the self-appointed and crowd approved pit master, answered the ping to his comm. The caller ID read 'unknown,' but to have someone figure out his number was very disturbing.

"Who is this?" he asked.

::Is he dead yet?:: a mech whose voice he didn't recognize asked.

"Is who dead yet, may I ask?"

::The bitlet, of course.::

Megatron's spark fell to his pedes. "Why?"

::I only sold him to you because you said you would kill him! If I'd known he was going to live, I would've offed him with his carrier.::

"Why do you need him dead?"

::Can't have Cybertron knowing that I have a potentially better heir. Besides, I don't want some byproduct of a pleasurebot to inherit my rule.:: He sounded haughty and aristocratic. From the way his vents wheezed, he must've been old too.

"Who are you?" Megatron demanded.

::I am more important than you and every other turbo-dog in Kaon, that's who I am. Now, you better have that little piece of scrap dead by AllSpark day. If not, I will have him killed, you killed, and whatever idiot you shoved him off to killed. Am I clear?:: Megatron could hear him coughing violently on the other side. Yeah, really old.

"Crystal," Megatron growled before cutting off the connection and blocking the number.

The gladiator sighed heavily and looked back to his little Bumblebee. He had gotten to know such a wonderful little sparkling over the past 31 vorns. He couldn't believe someone wanted him dead.

"I know, right?" A voice came from behind him.

"Again with the mind-reading, Soundwave?"

Soundwave ignored the question. "He doesn't want Cybertron to revolt against his leadership, of which city-state I don't know; he killed his carrier, whom he likely abused; and he's old."

"You gathered that from listening in on my comm?"

"Pitbull also said that the mech is his sire, making Bumblebee related to a noble and someone near the bottom of the hierarchy."

"Hmm."

"Hook's scans also show that Bumblebee is Iaconian-Praxian and exactly half and half of each. That narrows down the leaders, and his carrier is also pure-blooded."

"That's a lot of information to start with," Megatron said, impressed.

"I've got a lot of empty space in my processor. Shockwave is helping me learn to hack. Might as well use all this helmspace to store data," Soundwave said.

Megatron looked at Bumblebee, who managed to hit Dagger's funny strut. The poor mech was writhing on the ground partly for show and partly from actual pain while Scythe and Bee laughed at the funny noises he was making. "Well then, let's start looking into this. I'd like to rip out his spark before he extinguishes Bee's"

"Agreed."


	11. Because I Will

Later that orn, back in the safety of their quarters, Megatron was tucking Bumblebee into his berth for the night.

"Meggy?" Bumblebee asked.

"Yes, little Bee?" Megatron only allowed the nickname because Bee was special. As for Scythe, she was just stubborn.

"Why do I need to learn how to fight if you can protect me?"

"Well, there will come a time when I will not be there for you in your time of need. Also, there are still mechs and femmes who oppose my leadership here. If they target you to get to me, you need to know how to defend yourself."

Bee looked deep in thought. Megatron did just use a lot of big words. "That makes sense. Okay. Goodnight, Meggy." The sparkling closed his optics as he drifted off into recharge

"Goodnight, Bumblebee. Don't let the scraplets bite," Megatron whispered as he sneaked a kiss to his helm.

The gray mech had just laid down on his berth to settle in for the night when he got another ping. This one was just a text message, but at least the sender had a name: Orion Pax.

::What you say is interesting, but more people are hearing than you think. Let's speak.::

'Really?' Megatron thought to himself. 'Well, I suppose he must have heard my words on the radio or something.' He sent a response back before settling in for the night.

::You are more right than you know. I am also more right than you know. Meet me at Maccadam's at mid orn tomorrow.::

**x x x x x**

The next morning, he woke up bright and early for a reason that every caretaker is semi-happy to wake up to.

"Oof!"

"Meggy! Meggy! It's time to get up!" Bumblebee yelled as he bounced upon his mentor's chest.

"And why must you sit on me?" Megatron groaned.

"Because this orn is Fin and we always do one-on-one fights on Fin!" Bee cheered.

Megatron let his helm fall back as he peeked a look at the excited sparkling. "Fine. But I actually have something else planned for today. Unfortunately, I don't think you'll be able to go."

And just like that, Bumblebee's smile turned upside down and his doorwings drooped against his back. "Why not?"

'Because your mystery sire wants to kill you. Because I don't want you dead. Because I worry about you. Because I...'

"Because it might be dangerous for you."

"But you would be with me."

"No buts."

"What if Ravage came and protected me too?"

"What if scenarios are too diverse."

"I can use the stealth skills Soundwave has been teaching me."

"Are you a master of stealth?"

"Ravage is."

"Are you a master of fighting?"

"You are."

"It's still not safe."

"I hacked into your signal from last night," Bumblebee said, laying out his most powerful card. He saw the larger mech's look of surprise. "I know you're meeting with someone at Maccadam's. Shockwave told me Mac doesn't allow fighting."

"What about the trip there?" Megatron came up with another excuse. To be honest, he really did want to take Bumblebee with him. He felt better when he knew the sparkling was safe nearby. "Someone could harm you on the public transit."

"Then give 'em your mean face and they'll walk the other way. That always works." Bee's wings flicked twice for emphasis.

Finally, he caved. "So be it. But if you get caught-"

"I know. It'll be on me."

Megatron sat up and hugged Bumblebee close to his spark, something he rarely did. Bee snuggled into his embrace and purred contentedly into his neck.

"If you get caught, I will tear this planet apart to search for you. I will scour the heavens for you. I will eviscerate the bot who thought they could take you away from me."

Bee smiled softly and whispered, "I know, Meggy." Then he raised his voice and said, "So let's get going already! We gotta get our morning ration first."


	12. Oreo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timetable  
> Klik: 2 seconds: 10 nanokliks  
> Breem: 8 minutes: 240 kliks  
> Joor: 6 hours: 45 breems  
> Orn: 13 days: 52 joors  
> Cycle: 22 weeks: 11 orns  
> Megacycle: 30 months: 5 cycles  
> Vorn: 80 years: 32 megacycles
> 
> It's Cybertronian term, Earth time/what it means, and how many Cyber terms fit into each one. Ex. One cycle equals 22 weeks. Each cycle has 11 orns in it. I did the math for this. I always wondered how the time fit together.
> 
> Ages  
> Newspark: 0 - 3: (0 - 1)  
> Sparkling: 3 - 50: (1 - 5)  
> Youngling: 50 - 200: (5 - 13)  
> Mechling: 200 - 1,000: (13 - 21)  
> Adult: 1,000: (21)
> 
> It's Cybertronian term, vorns, human equivalent. Ex. A 50-vorn-old Cybertronian sparkling would be the mental equivalent of a 5-year-old human child.

The others, surprisingly, took very well to the news of Megatron's spontaneous trip to Iacon. Even Shockwave agreed on the terms that Bumblebee should "describe at least three landmarks and their history, if possible." Bee was too excited to care that Shockwave wanted him to write about going places. He was going places!

The ride to Iacon on the public transit shuttle was uneventful. As Bumblebee had predicted, anyone and everyone who saw Megaton's "mean face" made sure to steer clear of the large gladiator and the little yellow sparkling on his shoulder.

The shuttle dropped them off at Iacon Grand. Central, just a few blocks away from Maccadam's. Megatron made sure to remind Bumblebee of Shockwave's assignment when they passed the Energon Fountains, Lake Oleum, and, to Megaton's displeasure, the Prime's Palace. He saw Sentinel Prick waving lazily at his subjects from a balcony as thousands of mechs and femmes cheered his name. He only let Bumblebee take a few pictures of the Palace before ushering him towards Maccadam's.

In doing so, they both missed Sentinel's look of shock and contempt at the sight of them.

The famous tavern didn't look like much from the outside, but it was filled with all kinds of mechs, femmes, and beastly Cybertronians rich and poor alike. Holoscreens filled one wall, each displaying a different program and the code to hear the audio. Booths lined the wall, tables and chairs surrounded a glowing dance floor, and high chairs stood in vigilant rows in front of the bar. A friendly orange and gray mech with lenses attached to his optics was absentmindedly cleaning a glass when he noticed the pair walk in.

"Ah! The famous gladiator finally graces my humble bar! Maccadam at your service, but you can call me Mac for short" the mech behind the counter said. His voice was slightly gruff, but he sounded jovial and kind-sparked.

"I'm meeting a mech here at mid orn-"

The orange mech cut in. "Orion is waiting for you in the corner booth. I'll bring drinks for you two."

Megatron hid his surprise. "The sparkling-"

"Needs fortified low grade. I can tell. Don't worry, you came to the right bar." Maccadam pointed them towards the booth before turning around to prepare their drinks.

Megatron saw a blue and red mech sipping on Visco while reading a datapad in the corner booth. He walked over with Bee and sat down opposite him. Bee sat upright, snuggled into his chassis. He was a little nervous at all the new Cybertronians, but he wanted to seem tough for his caretaker.

The red and blue mech looked up at the movement. "Oh! You're here!"

"Apparently so," Megatron replied. "Why did you want to talk with me?"

"Well, my name is Orion Pax. I'm a data clerk for the Hall of Records in Iacon. In my caste, I listen and I index, but I am not allowed to analyze."

"But how do you know where to index if you don't analyze?" Megatron asked.

"I try not to think about questions I can't answer," Orion muttered.

"Who said you're not allowed to question your place? I was once a miner who yearned for a better place, yet ended up as another slave to an ignorant master. Now I am Megatron. I fight for equality rather than my life and lead others along the same path."

"Who are you fighting?"

"Those who think they can tell me, like they tell you, that we must stay in our castes. That we cannot determine our own fate."

"I think I can assist you with spreading your message."

Megatron was taken aback by the offer. "Why should I accept your assistance. I lead a resistance with hundreds of mechs and femmes behind me. What makes you different? Other than your background, of course."

"You'll need to tailor your message so that it resonates beyond the mechs and femmes that die in the mines and pits. They won't understand your views otherwise."

"Perhaps they should learn to, then. Even now you do not understand my views entirely, and yet you consider yourself to be one of us."

"Then show me what I do not understand," Orion said. He looked so sincere when he said that, Megatron knew he genuinely believed in freedom from the caste system.

"And so I shall. But first, we should get to know each other. If we are to work closely together, then we should be close."

At that moment, Maccadam finally showed up with their drinks. "My apologies. Fortified low grade is hard to brew in a pinch, but it's got all the minerals he needs to grow up strong." He set the drinks down before them and playfully rubbed Bee's helm, who giggled sweetly.

Orion smiled at the cheerful sound. "Maybe you can protect introduce me to your little companion."

"My name is Bumblebee, I'm 32 vorns old, and my sparkorn is next megacycle." Bee held out his servo like Scythe taught him. "But you can call me Bee. What's your name?" He shifted a little and added, "I already know it, but I'm just being polite because Scythe says I should be a gentlemech."

Orion took his small servo in his larger one and chuckled, "Scythe is correct. My name is Orion Pax. But you can call me Orion."

Bee struggled to say his name. Apparently, back-to-back vowels weren't his strong suit. "Or... Ori...Oree... Oreo. Hi, Oreo!"

"Well, I suppose you can call me 'Oreo' too." Orion laughed. Even Megatron chuckled as he moved Bee into his lap. The cheerful sparkling took the small cube low grade and carefully sipped from it.

"Mmm! This tastes good!" Bumblebee exclaimed.

"Don't get too used to it, little one. You still have to drink Hook's low grade every orn."

"I know, Meggy."

Megatron's face tinted just the slightest shade of blue. "And for the record, please don't use my nickname in public," he mumbled as Orion stifled his laughs behind his servo.

The three talked a bit more about everyday life. Megatron told Orion he was welcome in the Pits of Kaon anytime. Orion offered Megatron and Bumblebee a place in Iacon if they ever wanted to visit. Bee could even stay with Alpha Trion for a day since he knew the aged mech loved sparklings. 'Oreo' was a great help with Bumblebee's assignment, which he almost conveniently forgot about again.

While the mechling was occupied, Megatron leaned in and whispered, "I'd much appreciate it if you could do something else for me as well."

"What do you need?" Orion asked.

"Bumblebee's sire killed his carrier and wants him dead too. Problem is, we don't know who his sire is. Or his carrier."

"I have access to many records at my job. If I can't find anything, my friend is an investigator. Can he help?"

"Is he trustworthy?"

"We've been friends for centuries."

"Then ask him too." Megatron handed Orion a datapad under the table. "This is all the information we have so far."

"Don't worry about Bee. He's too bright for the world to put out," Orion said.

Megatron looked at the sparkling next to him. "Don't I know it."


	13. Tick Tick

The walk back to the station was uneventful. Bee handed his assignment to Megatron to review as they waited for the next shuttle to Kaon. Others bustled around them on their way to work or home or vacation.

They didn't notice the strange, dark mech that was leaning against a pillar just a few meters behind them.

Megatron handed the report back to Bumblebee. "There are a few spelling errors in paragraph three, but otherwise, I think it's excellent." Bee cocked his helm at him. "Is there something wrong, Bumblebee?"

"Do you hear that ticking noise?"

It was an odd question, but now that he mentioned it, Megatron did hear a ticking noise. Barely audible over the crowd, yet it seemed to be coming from behind them. He turned to see a black mech that reminded Megatron of that life-changing orn 31 vorns ago there.

The mech walked closer.

The ticking quickened.

Then it stopped.

Megatron held Bumblebee tight to him and yelled, "GET DOWN! IT'S A BO-"

He never finished his sentence.

The suicide bomber just smiled crazily as he exploded with the bomb he carried within him. The blast range wasn't far, but it was powerful, added to by the shrapnel of the mech's frame. The pillar he had leaned against fractured and broke from the blast force, causing the ceiling to collapse on top of them. Unfortunate civilians were severely injured or even killed if they were nearby, but none were as close as Bumblebee and Megatron were.

The explosion sent them flying into the next pillar, only to have it fall on them because of the uneven weight distribution from the first pillar's collapse. The metal from the ceiling fell on them too, adding to the strain on Megatron's frame. He had taken most of the force, but Bumblebee still bore a few dents, scratches, and some heat warped plating.

Megatron could hear voices yelling on the other side, but he was too busy making sure they didn't get crushed to focus on them. The immense pain stabbing into his back was also making it hard to concentrate.

"Someone get help!"

"We need to get them out of there!"

"We've got a lot of injured mechs and femmes here."

"The one closest to the explosion had a sparkling with him!"

"1, 2, 3, heave!"

He heard nothing, but certainly felt it when the load above him lightened. The gray mech carefully tried to stand with Bee in his arms, causing white spots to dance in his vision.

"The pile! It's moving!"

"Rescue Squad Sigma-17 here. Chase, clear the building. Blades, attend to the wounded. Boulder, you're with me. Let's get this mech out."

"Heatwave, they're saying he's got a sparkling!"

"Then we'll have to be even more careful."

"We'll help."

"Then let's work together. On three!"

The weight on his back became less and less until, finally, Megatron broke free with Bee held close to his chest. He stumbled into someone's arms and quickly tried to stand up by himself to save face.

"Here, sir. We've got medics waiting for you and your sparkling," a red mech said.

Megatron groaned. "Don't have the credits to pay for it. We've got a medic in Kaon."

"What about-"

"Oh my Primus! It's Megatron!" An orange one exclaimed.

"Blades, we are on duty! Please save your enthusiasm for break," a blue one said. Megatron just smirked at the orange one, Blades.

"Megatron, sir, your sparkling is hurt and so are you. At least let the medics scan you both to make sure there's nothing serious," a green mech said.

"Perhaps you are right. Fine. Where are they?"

"Just follow Chase. We're staying behind to help the others. Chase, when you're done, send out a message to tell the shuttles that this station is closed." Megatron allowed himself to be led by the blue mech, Chase, to a group of medics. Although they all looked at him - rookies - only one had the tanks to walk up to him.

"Champion gladiator or not, that was a very powerful low range bomb. You're lucky to be alive," he said.

"My armor is heavy-duty. It withstands a lot. It must."

"No doubt about that. But you'll still need to get that shrapnel out as soon as possible or you'll leak out. And your sparkling has some minor internal leaking. Kaon's too far away to wait."

Megatron sighed, wincing slightly from a pain in his upper back. "I can't pay for this. I only have enough credits for the return trip."

"Well, then. You came to the right medic."

"You came to me."

"Yip, yip, yip. My name is Ratchet. Just follow me to the hospital. I'll pay for everything."

"You don't-"

"But I will. Not that I'm complaining, but I make too much money for my lifestyle. I'll be fine. If you wait, neither you nor the little one will be okay. The hospital's just around the corner. Come on."

"Fine," Megatron conceded, watching Bumblebee take labored breaths in concern. "But my alt mode is a mining tank. I'll be slow."

"Then walk quickly."


	14. Say Who!?

::Iacon Grand Central is still closed for repairs after it was the scene of an attempted murder.::

_Click_

::Witnesses said that a black mech approached another mech and his sparkling and activated a bomb.::

_Click_

::Recovered security footage from the event showed Megatron, champion gladiator of Kaon, shielding a sparkling with his body just before the explosion.::

_Click_

::Did you see that adorable sparkling he had Sola?::

::I did, Luna! It's so precious!::

::You'd think his reproductive protocols would be offline, wouldn't you?::

_Click_

::I have the leader of Rescue Squad Sigma-17 here with me. Heatwave, do you think someone tried to kill Megatron?::

::From my experience and the damage to the station, I'd say yes.::

::Why?::

_Click_

::Why?::

_Click_

::Why?::

_Click Click Click_

::Why would someone try to kill Megatron in public? Why does Megatron have a sparkling? Who is responsible for this?::

_Click_

Megatron turned off the small holoscreen across the room. Two orns later and the only thing on the air was the scene at the shuttle station. Even Sola and Luna were talking about it! Or at least they were talking about Bumblebee.

What was it with bots thinking he was actually related to the scraplet? And why the reproductive protocols comment?!

Speaking of, Bumblebee had needed some surgery to fix that internal leak. He was recharging in a berth next to him - they refused to be separated except for their surgeries - while Megatron sat up, awake and bored.

The hospital room was very clean. The gilded lilies Scythe sent - the nurse snickered when she brought them in - how did Scythe even afford them? - did nothing to mask the scent of sterilizing solution. The walls were a blue shade of off-white, the berths were crisply made, and the neutral still-life art on the wall was perfectly balanced in the middle. Scythe's lilies - because they certainly weren't Megatron's, despite the name that was clearly written on the tag - were the only splash of color in the room. Actually, Bumblebee was bright too, in more ways than one.

Ratchet entered the room with two cubes of energon. "Fortified mid and low grade. One for each."

"Ratchet, I don't need-"

Ratchet interrupted him. "Yip, yip, yip. I'm the medic here; I know what you need better than you. And you need fortified energon because the slag you drink in Kaon isn't doing you any favors. Plus, you just recovered from surgery."

Megatron rolled his optics and politely snatched the cube out of Ratchet's servo.

"Hmph. Rude."

"Thank you for the cube, Ratchet," Megatron said sarcastically. "You are very kind."

"I have a wrench and I'm not afraid to use it," he growled back.

"I'm not the one with loose screws. OW!" Megatron rubbed the spot where Ratchet hit him with his wrench. "I thought you took oaths of not hurting others."

"You'll be fine. I didn't make any dents. Besides, you could've gotten Pharma. Now he's the shifty one. Arrogant aft."

"Exactly why we need to abolish the caste system. Arrogant afts who think they're better just because they have comfy jobs."

"Don't I know it." Ratchet shifted his weight to his left leg. "By the way, there's a cultural investigator here to see you."

Megatron crossed his arms and said, "I am not available for questioning. And neither is Bumblebee, for that matter."

"I'm sure you know Orion by now. He's his friend."

Megatron lifted an optic ridge at this. "Orion's investigator friend? Well... I suppose I can talk to him."

Ratchet smirked and opened the door for a white mech with blue and red stripes. The mech had a visor over his optics and seemed to flow into the room.

"Name's Jazz," the mech said. "Cultural investigator, Orion's friend, here ta talk about what da little one's got ta do wit' all dis. Mind givin' us some privacy, Ratch?" Apparently, he had an accent too. Polyhexian, if he was right.

"Don't call me 'Ratch'," he grumbled before leaving.

Jazz sat on a visitor's chair, clapped his servos together, and said, "Well, I know yer da world famous Megatron. Who's da li'l guy den?"

"His name is Bumblebee," Megatron said with a hint of pride.

"Cute name fer a sparkling from da pits."

"He's named after cyberbees," Megatron said as he took a sip from his cube.

"Nasty li'l stingers, dey are. Anyways, Orion gave meh da datapad you gave 'im. I read said 'pad over break. Now we just need ta figure out why Sentinel's after his son's spark."

Megatron spit out the energon he had just drank, accidentally spraying it at Jazz.

"WHAT?!"


	15. Creators

"What do you mean Sentinel Prick is Bee's sire?!" Megatron roared.

Jazz held up his servos. "Calm down, Megs. Da 'pad had dat recording of yer talk with da Prime. It's his voice signature. Cross-referenced and everythin'."

The gladiator closed his optics and counted to ten before continuing. After all, it wouldn't be very beneficial if he killed him. "If Sentinel is willing to kill a newspark just because it was related to him and a lower caste citizen, then the caste system really needs to go."

"Same thoughts here. So, here's what I figure: Sentinel decides he wants ta have a one night stand wit' some low caste femme. He ends up gettin' her sparked without knowin'. As da sire, he feels da sparkling reach out for him once it emerges. He goes ta kill both of dem because their existence, especially Bee's, is a scandal. Da pit master comes along and wants da newspark ta train. Sentinel agrees since he knows a newspark would never survive in da pits. Problem is solved until you come inta da picture."

"But why would Sentinel say that Bumblebee would be a potentially better heir?" Megatron asked.

"Well, Sentinel's not exactly doin' much for Cybertron right now."

"You can say that again," Megatron mumbled.

"So Cybertron might jump at da chance ta have a new leader. Especially da Council because dey can mold Bee since he's so young."

Megatron muttered, "Even more corruption."

"Yeh're really inta liberatin' Cybertron, aren't ya?"

"Hmm?"

"Nevermind. Anyway, now we just need ta find out who his carrier is. I asked Orion ta run through da stats of pure-blooded femmes dat died in da last 32 vorns and we got a few hits." Jazz handed him a datapad with the bios of three femmes on them.

**x x x x x**

Name: Auruma

Age: 3,817 Vorns

Type: Femme Motorcycle

Caste: Jeweler

Colors: Gold and Topaz

Optics: Orange

Creators: AllSpark

**x x x x x**

Name: Solstice

Age: 1,211 Vorns

Type: Femme 4-Wheeler

Caste: Courier

Colors: Yellow and Black

Optics: Blue

Creators: Starshot (sire) and Galaxy (carrier)

**x x x x x**

Name: Aila

Age: 2,392 Vorns

Type: Femme Ambulance

Caste: Paramedic

Colors: Red and Pale Blue

Optics: Indigo

Creators: Aquarius (sire) and Aquilla (carrier)

**x x x x x**

"I think Solstice might be his carrier. She looks like a femme version of Bumblebee," Megatron said, handing the datapad back to Jazz.

The Polyhexian pushed the datapad back. "After seein' Bee, I thought da same thing. Dere's only one hitch ta it though."

"And what would that hitch be?"

"She's infertile. Gestation chamber got punctured at a young age and dey never could afford ta have it replaced."

Megatron read the bios again. "But it says that Auruma worked as a jeweler for higher castes and nobles. And medics are also high up. Couriers send messages by servo and they are low caste."

"Same idea here," Jazz said. "But ya wouldn't believe what happened da cycle before she ended up wit' Sentinel.

"What happened?"

"Witnesses saw her at the Well of AllSparks. She nearly jumped in when a beam of light shot inta her chest. A megacycle after Sentinel, she finds out she's sparked. A miracle!"

"So Primus wanted Bumblebee to be born?" Megatron asked.

"I guess so," Jazz said.

They looked at Bumblebee as he recharged. The sparkling turned over as a digit found its way into his mouth. He absentmindedly chewed on it as he purred in his sleep.

"You're one lucky mech ta have a sparklin' like that," Jazz told him.

"He's a special little scraplet," Megatron agreed.


	16. Eavesdrop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Umm. If someone doesn't approve of spanking, you can skip, like, 2 small paragraphs.  
> Do I even need this warning? It's not even really detailed.

Back in Kaon, Megatron and Bumblebee sneaked into their room to avoid their friends and the inevitable talk they would have to have with them. Unfortunately, their plan backfired when they found Scythe waiting for them on Megatron's berth.

"Bee! Megs!" She ran up to them and hugged Bee before clasping Megatron's servos with her own. "You had us worried! You and Bee go off to Iacon to meet a mech to help our rebellion and then you go and get yourself blown up!"

"Yeah! We need the deets," Dagger said as he entered with Soundwave and Shockwave.

Megatron felt someone tug at his knee plating. He looked down. "Yes, Bumblebee?"

"What did happen, Meggy?" Bee asked.

"You don't remember?" Megatron asked as he lifted Bee into his arms while he sat down across from Scythe on Bee's berth.

Bee scrunched up his face in thought, though it looked cute. "I... I remember you holding me close before a boom. And I remember waking up in the hospital before we had to go. But I can't make sense of the in-between. I have an audio file of it, but it's... warped."

"Perhaps I can help make sense of it later," Shockwave offered.

"That sounds nice," Bumblebee replied.

"But for now, I'd rather you not hear what I'm about to tell the others," Megatron said, placing Bee back on the floor.

"Why not?"

"For all we know, it's just an isolated incident. I don't want you to worry about it. Let the adults worry."

"I actually have to go with Megs on this one, Sweetspark," Scythe added.

"Same here, Buzzy," said Dagger.

"I see the logic in their argument. It is best if you are not present, Bumblebee," Shockwave agreed.

Bee looked to Soundwave with hope shining in his cerulean optics. "Sorry, Bee. I'm already outvoted. I'll let Ravage and Laserbeak out for you though."

"Hmm. Okay," Bee consented. Laserbeak removed himself from Soundwave's chest so that Ravage could come out from behind it The two symbiotes stretched and went to guide Bee towards the door. "You guys are no fun," he mumbled as the door closed behind them.

"I hope you are talking about them, because we want to know what's going on too," Ravage said.

"Really?"

"Of course. We want to know how to protect you better," Laserbeak chimed in.

Bee smiled as he pulled up a map of the vent system on the datapad Shockwave gave him for his 28th sparkorn. "So, you guys are attached to Soundwave all the time. What do you think is the best route?"

**x x x x x**

Half a joor later found the trio edging their way through the air vents in the ceiling.

"Why must these ducts always be so dusty? My wings are going to get clogged," Laserbeak complained.

"Suck it up, Birdy," Ravage growled.

"Don't call me that, Kitty," Laserbeak chirped back.

"Quit calling me 'Kitty'."

"Both of you, qui.. quee... Just stop talking. We're getting close," Bee whispered at them.

Unfortunately, a fan they had not seen on the map blocked them from getting any closer. The slow, grating rotation it made hard to hear part of the adult's conversation.

"I'll go back and scout out another route," Laserbeak said. "You two stay and try to figure out what they're saying." He carefully turned around in the narrow vent and shimmied back the way they had come. Being flexible, Ravage scooted up to rest beside Bee, whose small size allowed two to fit next to each other.

"What... do?" That was Scythe's voice.

"Logical... cut... source... danger." Definitely Shockwave.

"You... kill...?" That kind of sounded like Dagger.

"Keep... away." That was Soundwave.

"We... both." Bumblebee couldn't mistake his caretaker's voice. "Bee away... protect... rid of... sire."

"Why would they want to get rid of your sire?" Ravage asked out loud.

Bumblebee's optics whirled as he imagined reaching into the back of his mind for the answer. "I think... I think I remember-"

_CREAK_

"What... noise?" they heard Scythe ask.

_CRASH_

"AHH!"

The old metal couldn't support them any longer. The two dusty bots fell out of the vent they had been hiding in. Bee fell right into Megatron's outstretched arms, covering his caretaker in old dust. Ravage landed on his paws and jumped on a chair to groom himself when he noticed a certain someone perched on Soundwave's shoulder.

"Laserbeak! You deserter!" he hissed.

The bird symbiote shook his wings in indignation. "What? I didn't want to spend joors preening my wings. Is there anything wrong with wanting to be ready to fly at a moment's notice?"

"Yeah. It means you're a vain little vulture."

"Why you-!"

"Enough!" Megatron commanded. The whole room went quiet. He turned to his charge. "Why did you try to eavesdrop on us?"

The sparkling hung his helm and said, "I wanted to know what happened. I wanted to know why someone tried to blow us up. Maybe it's because you're leading a revolution. Maybe it's because some gladiator wants to be the next undefeated champion." He met his mentor's crimson gaze. I don't want you to get hurt."

Megatron sighed. "Oh, Bumblebee. You're such a sweet little scraplet." He rubbed Bee's doorwings affectionately. "I would've told you what happened later if you had just waited.

"Really?"

"Yes. And now, I'll have to punish you. Do you know why?"

"Because I disobeyed you."

Megatron caressed Bee's cheek while addressing the others. "Soundwave, I'm sure you know what punishment is appropriate for your symbiotes. Otherwise, we should call it an orn. It's almost berthtime."

"Aww, Megatron! We're too old for berthtime!" Dagger complained.

Soundwave slapped him. "Not you, idiot. The young ones!"

"Oh." The others filed out one by one until Bee and Megatron were left alone.

Bee reluctantly laid face-down over Megatron's lap and prepared to receive the first spank. When it came, Bee willed himself not to cry, but a drop of lubricant escaped his watery optics anyway. After the tenth hit, the blows stopped and Bee was lifted up to his caretaker's chest.

Megatron wiped the stay tear away and held him close until Bee drifted into recharge, his little digits clinging to his chestplate. The large mech held the little one closer as he eased under the blankets on his berth. Bee would still wake up in his own berth by next orn, but little moments like this were important.

Megatron kissed the small, yellow helm and whispered, "Goodnight, Bee."


	17. Relax

The next few cycles passed by quickly. With Orion's help, the rebellion was gaining popularity. Some of Megatron's speeches even made their way onto 'Sola and Luna'. Corrupt nobles and aristocrats tried to put them down through pointless arrests and even secret murders. The lower castes and sympathizing upper castes did what they could to support Megatron. A few extreme bots used violence to revolt against their superiors, giving Megatron and his companions a hard time trying to keep those outliers under control.

Meanwhile, Jazz continued to help Megatron find out as much as possible about Bee's creators, mostly his carrier. From the CNA records Orion was able to dig up, Solstice was Bumblebee's carrier. The only thing they couldn't figure out was how an infertile femme gave birth to a sparkling that didn't share Sentinel's features or CNA. They had checked; Sentinel, somehow, did not contribute his CNA, yet he shared a faint creator-creation bond with Bee. The sparkling was also still half Iaconian. It was certainly a mystery.

Bumblebee, meanwhile, was mostly oblivious to the investigation into his creation. The only thing on his processor was his upcoming sparkorn. Ravage, his appointed "bodyguard" since the shuttle station incident, let the sparkling ride him around for an orn as an early present, but refused to let him call him "Kitty," not that Bee ever listened. Laserbeak even gave him a taste of flying for a few breems, but had to stop before he overtaxed his systems.

The adults were fully aware of the "subtle" hints Bee dropped every once in a while. They argued about what to give him. Scythe and Soundwave thought that Bee would enjoy another field trip; perhaps to the Crystal Gardens in Praxus. Dagger and Shockwave wanted to give the sparkling his own blade to practice with; dulled, of course. Megatron was more inclined to agree with the latter. After all, a semi-sharp blade had to be safer than bringing Bee into an area where his very-deadly sire could access him.

"But," Scythe argued when she and Megatron were alone in his room with Bumblebee deep in recharge, "Bee obviously wouldn't be alone. Ravage always stays with him and one, maybe two, of us would also be with him. He'd be safe."

"What about a bomb?" Megatron asked.

"Ravage can smell bombs from megakliks away."

"What about poison?"

"Ravage can still smell them and Bee knows better than to drink anything we don't give him."

"What about a direct confrontation?"

"Ravage is skilled, Bee has advanced very far with his training, and we'll be close by too."

"What about a sniper?" Megatron was running out of excuses. If it weren't for his public image with Cybertron and the other gladiators, he would wrap Bee up in his arms and never let go.

"We can bring Soundwave. He can scan for danger."

"What if-"

"What if scenarios are too diverse." Scrap. His own words used against him. "Megs, you need to relax. Ravage will go, you'll probably go too, Soundwave will go, anyone you want will go. Hey, you could bring those two twins. Primus knows they want to get out of here." Scythe took his servos in her own. "We will protect him, Megs."

Megatron finally caved. "Fine. You and the twins can go with Bee and Ravage."

"Why not you?"

"I'll attract too much attention. I'm easily recognizable now."

"Okay, Megs. Do you want to call Jazz and Orion too? They could come and watch Bee too while I get the latest scoop on Bee's origins."

Megatron gave her a rare smile and kissed her servo like a gentlemech. "That sounds like an excellent idea."

She blushed madly and got up to kiss Bee's helm and tuck his blankets in a little more. "Goodnight, Sweet Bee. Goodnight, Megs." She moved to leave, then turned around and kissed Megatron's cheek before rushing out the door, her face flushed blue.

Energon rushed to the gladiator's face as well. They hadn't exactly been courting, but there were always little hints that they cared for each other. And whenever Soundwave or Dagger picked up on these hints, they would collapse into a giggling fit until Scythe slapped them.

As usual, Megatron got up to sneak a kiss to Bumblebee's helm. As usual, he crawled into his berth and pulled the covers up to his chest. And as usual, he closed his optics and whispered:

"Goodnight, Bumblebee."


	18. Happy Sparkorn!

The next orn, Bumblebee sat up in his berth and stretched. Flicking his doorwings to finish it off, he looked around the room. Megatron had ready left. That was odd, he always waited for Bee to get up (or for Bee to wake him up).

Bumblebee got up and made his berth before heading out the door. Thankfully, Ravage was waiting for him, as he did every orn now.

"Come, bitlet. The others are waiting for you in the rec room," the feline said.

"I'm not a bitlet, Kitty!" Bee proclaimed.

"And I am not a Kitty. Yet here we are."

"Agree to disagree?" Bee asked, holding out his servo. Ravage smiled and nuzzled it.

The pair walked along in companionable silence afterwards until they reached their destination. When they entered the rec room they found the lights cut off.

"Why aren't the lights on Ravage? Ravage?" Bee asked, groping the air for the feline that was supposed to be next to him. "Ravage? Ravage!" The lights flicked on suddenly, blinding him. He rubbed his optics to clear the spots dancing in his vision. When he opened his optics, he gasped at what he saw.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY SPARKORN, BUMBLEBEE!

Every single bot was standing in the room, his friends at the helm of them. They surrounded a table of small gifts. A banner on the wall read "Happy 33rd Sparkorn!"

Bee was giggling gleefully while his doorwings trembled with excitement. He ran up to Megatron, who picked him up and tossed him once in the air. Bee screamed in delight. He managed to say, "For me?! You've never done one before."

Megatron rubbed his doorwings gently and said, "Well, this orn's a big deal. You turn 33 vorns this orn. Sola and Luna did a popularity poll and my speeches and I were number one. You're 33 vorns old now. More and more Cybertronians are supporting our cause. It's your sparkorn-"

Bee's laugh cut him off. "Okay! Okay! You have other reasons," he said, flashing a wink at his caretaker. Megatron winked back.

"Well come on, everybody!" Dagger exclaimed. "We've got a party to celebrate! The sparkling has arrived and I want to see the look on his face when he sees what we got him." The crowd cheered and Bee raised a fist, resulting in louder cheers.

First came presents:

From Dagger, he got a knife to use during training. Megatron eyed the blade suspiciously until the black and silver mech assured him that it wasn't sharp enough to cause major damage. Major damage? What kind of assurance was that?

From Shockwave, he received a cube made up of rotating cubes. "The goal," he said, "is to get each side to be the same color." Bee fiddled with the puzzle for a while before thanking him and moving on to the next present.

From Soundwave, he got a datachip with 'The Intergalactic Species Compendium' downloaded onto it. Bee squealed in delight at all the colorful pictures and words to read and learn. If Shockwave still had emotions, he would be jealous.

From Hook, he got a pass for a free weapons upgrade when he was old enough.

You do realize it's always free?" Megatron asked while Bee unwrapped the canister of rust sticks the maintenance workers got him.

"He doesn't need to know that," Hook replied.

From the other gladiators, he got fifteen credits to spend as he wished, within reason.

From the twins, he got an artpad and a set of colorful charcoal pens. Bumblebee hugged them both and promised to draw of picture of some of the sights he saw in Iacon for them.

And last, but not least, was Megatron's gift. It was slim and flexible. Was it one of those old-fashioned books? It was also very light. Perhaps a novella. He opened it carefully, picking at the adhesive strips and peeling the layers back until he held the shuttle ticket to Praxus reverently in his small servos.

"Really?" Bee asked, his voice threatening to static out from happiness.

Megatron smiled. "I won't be going with you, but we thought you might like to see the insect we named you after, the flora it pollinated, your carrier's home city-" He was cut off when the sparkling launched himself into his arms and cheered:

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" The little mech turned and repeated the mantra to every single mech and femme in the room. Meanwhile, Scythe came over and leaned against Megatron's arm.

"Good choice," she said, simply.

"I swear, you are just asking me to spoil him," Megatron returned.

"It's not spoiling if the bitlet's thanks are sparkfelt."

"True, true."

When Bee calmed back down, he asked, "So who's gonna come with me? And why can't you come, Meggy?" The others snickered at the endearing nickname.

Megatron gave him a knowing glance, only getting a mischievous smile out of his charge. "We figured that Ravage would stay with you. Scythe and the twins would go as well."

"Us too?" they asked at the same time.

"You're mechlings. You should get a break from the fighting every now and then," Scythe said, sounding very motherly with that statement.

"Cool!" they said.

The celebration continued with treats for everyone, a rousing freedom speech from Megatron, and a dance-off Bumblebee was rockin'.

"I'd like to see how that sparkling would do in a real dance," one cocky mech snarled.

"Like the Circuit-Breaker?" Dagger asked. "Because Bee can blow your circuits easy!"

The mech laughed and purred creepily. "It would certainly help me relieve some stress."

Upon hearing this, Megatron scooped up his charge and placed him on his shoulder in one fluid motion. "Careful, Azrael. We have young audials here."

Azrael just chuckled. "If he's so precious, why isn't he in a youth center? Surely the Pits of Kaon is no place for a spoiled little weakling like him!"

Dagger, being a rather impulsive mech despite his sly alt-form, yelled, "Hey! Bumblebee's being trained by Kaon's top gladiators! I bet he's better than you!"

"Oh really? Then he can prove it to me next orn at sunrise!"

"How about we make this dance-off into a face-off right now!"

"Dagger! Azrael! This orn is a time for celebrating. Cease your foolish talk at once." Megatron stepped between them.

Azrael glared at the gray gladiator and growled, "Your charge and me. Right now. To the death."

"Till yield!" Dagger shouted.

"Ugh. Till yield," Azrael conceded.

Megatron opened his intake to say something when Bumblebee touched his face. "Megatron, I can fight him. Scythe taught me how to strike and move quickly, Dagger taught me how to handle a blade, Soundwave taught me how to anticipate my oppenents' moves and fight smarter, Shockwave taught me how to be smarter in general, and you taught me how to fight honorably. I may not be 50 vorns like you promised Pitbull, but I'm ready."

"Sweetspark, I agree with Megatron. You're too young!" Scythe added.

"I'll always be too young for you all! Let me prove that my age is not a weakness." Bee's tone was confident. In his spark, Megatron was proud of the mech his charge was growing up to be. It was this feeling that convinced him.

"I won't let a fight ruin our celebration now, but you can have your fight next orn. Most of the crowd will be coming to see my next match anyway. I'm sure they'll enjoy this little surprise."

"As will I." With that, Azrael stalked away from the crowd. Everyone had been silent during the confrontation. Music from the Astronomechs played in the background, emphasizing the serious atmosphere with their cheerful music.

Bee giggled suddenly and threw his servos into the air, cheering, "Well, since it's my sparkorn and you all have to listen to me ("Oh brother,' Dagger groaned.), I say we keep partying!"

The resulting cheer was so loud, it drowned out the music. The celebrating continued until fourth shift when everyone had to turn in for the night to prepare for next orn.

Megatron carried a tuckered out Bee to their room and tucked him into his berth before crawling into his own, but not before a sneaked kiss and a whispered "Goodnight." He had almost drifted off when he heard blankets rustling and the soft pit-pat of pedes on the floor. He felt a small kiss placed on his cheek.

"Goodnight, Meggy. Love you."

'Love you too, Bee. You too,' he thought, smiling as he drifted off into recharge.


	19. I Am A Fighter

"Megatron! Megatron! Megatron!"

Megatron could hear the crowd cheering from behind the thick metal walls separating him from the arena. Bumblebee leaned on his leg as he too mentally prepared himself for the fight to come. Megatron would go first, facing whatever supersoldier Shockwave cooked in his lab. The former senator had truly taken to science since the most fascinating thing to him since the Empurata.

The seasoned gladiator shook his limbs to loosen them while Bee vented deeply. His caretaker was the best in the business. He always came back in time for recharge. He would be just fine. Right?

As if he could hear his thoughts like Soundwave, Megatron, his deep, gravelly voice comforting as always, said, "Bumblebee, do not worry. I will return. I am not Kaon's champion gladiator for nothing."

Hearing his thoughts voiced out loud seemed to calm the sparkling, but there was still something on his processor. "Meggy, do you have to kill it?"

The gray mech knelt to be closer to his charge. "Death is part of the cycle of life. If we were to live forever, there would be no room for new life. It is a balance. It is natural. I wish you didn't have to grow up here. I wish your carrier were still alive to love you. But here we are. Br-"

"Brought together by fate's guiding servo. Free to choose our destiny from there," Bee finished, using a line from one of his caretaker's speeches.

Megatron smiled as the door began to open. He caressed his ward's cheek before turning to the arena. He steeled his expression to face his opponent and stepped into the harsh light. The stands were filled with mechs and femmes, mostly lazy aristocrats. The gladiator raised his arms at the crowd, acting as if he had already won. If his opponent had any sense of pride, he would abandon his hiding place to keep it.

And abandon it he did. An Insecticon about the same size as Megatron ran at him from behind one of the burning piles of scrap metal. It reared its ugly helm to sink its denta into him, but Megatron forced its jaws open, trying to rip it apart. A clawed servo scratched at Megatron's chassis. It managed to slice through the outermost later of armor, but it was a superficial cut.

Megaton twisted the bug's helm, forcing it to back up. The gray gladiator used this opportunity to punch and kick at its torso. One punch sent it flying into the (audience's) safety walls. The Insecticon screeched and transformed into a flying beetle. It charged Megatron, who jumped on top of it and rode it into the ground.

Transforming, it bucked him off and threw him into the air. It changed into its alt again and slashed at Megatron's shoulder. He yelled as energon steadily dripped from the wound. The bug then shot him down from above.

Megatron lay still. The crowd went silent. The Insecticon transformed and loomed over him to land the finishing blow. Suddenly, the gladiator rushed to his pedes and, with a flick of his wrist, extended his blade and thrusted it into the bug's chest. It shuddered slowly and stared at the sword impaling him.

Its orange optics flickered as it fell off the blade, dead.

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Megatron raised his arms again. He yelled, "I am Megatron! AND I STILL FUNCTION!"

The crowd roared its approval. The sound was deafening in the most literal sense. Megatron hoped the walls blocked out most of the sound from Bumblebee. Having your audio receptors replaced was not a fun experience, he knew.

"Mechs and femmes in our audience this orn!" he yelled over the crowd's din. "You came to witness a match between a beast," he gestured to the dead Insecticon, "and Kaon's undefeated gladiator. But now, I have a surprise for you. This orn, you shall witness this young gladiator's first match. He has been trained by Kaon's too gladiators, myself included. And now, I introduce you to Bumblebee!"

The door opened and the sparkling strolled into the arena, careful to hide any sign of nervousness. When he reached his caretaker, the crowd was whispering madly. Someone called out, "That's a sparkling!"

"Do not let his age deceive you. Just last cycle, he singlehandedly forced Soundwave to yield in a mock fight," Megatron said.

The audience fell back into murmurs. The Soundwave defeated by a mere child? Why that faceless mech was Megatron's only draw!

Bumblebee reset his voicebox and said, "Last orn, a mech challenged me on the grounds that I was spoiled and weak because of my upbringing. This orn, I aim to prove him wrong."

"This shall be a fight until one opponent yields. After all, the arena is a dangerous place and I'd like to have my legacy live on in someone's spark rather than in the footnote of a history 'pad.

"So, on one side we have Bumblebee! A young gladiator-in-training looking to preserve his pride!" Bee walked to the corner opposite where his enemy would be emerging. "And in the other corner, we have Azrael! Angel of Death!"

Azrael strutted into the arena, his double-ended blade thrust above his helm. He was mainly white with red accents trailing down his frame like red energon leaking from a mauled mech. His crimson optics were lined with black. Angelic wings protruded from his back, a sign of his raptor-like alt mode.

"The match will start when the door closes behind me. May the best mech, or mechling, win." Megatron left through the door they had both used to enter the arena. When the opening returned to bring a solid wall, a loud buzz resonated through the arena, signaling the start of the match.

Azrael just chuckled and casually strolled over to where Bumblebee stood. "You might as well yield now, weakling. Otherwise, you'll come back to your mentor dressed in gunmetal gray." He raised his blade to strike Bee down.

Something in Bumblebee's processor seemed to click. He rolled out of the way and nimbly climbed the larger mech's frame until he reached Azrael's throat. He unsubspaced the dagger he had gotten on his sparkorn, sharpened in anticipation of this orn's match, and slashed at his jugular.

Unfortunately, the winged mech realized what Bee was doing and threw the sparkling off of him. Bee tucked into a neat roll and stopped at a kneel. Spinning his staff, Azrael charged the little mech and tried to slice him into tiny pieces. Bee nimbly dodged the blades, imagining them to be the fans of an old-fashioned energon mill using the wind to grind the crystals into powder. The yellow sparkling slashed at any exposed protoform, though his aim was for the back of Azrael's knees. If he could bring the larger mech down, it would be easier for Bee to get to his jugular.

Suddenly, the sound of sharp metal zinging through the air stopped. A white pede slammed into Bumblebee and sent him flying across the arena. He slammed into the wall and skid to the gravelly ground. There was an awful ringing in his helm and he felt like it was too heavy. Azrael laughed and held up a fist as if he already won while stalking over to the downed sparkling. As he lifted his blade to land the finishing blow, memories flashed through Bee's processor.

His carrier, sweet and kind. Her energon warm in his tanks. Her gentle servos cradling his tiny form.

The day a strange mech took her away. Bathed in the light of orange flames, a red demon thrusting his sword into his carrier's spark chamber. A spark deep pain that wouldn't end.

His caretaker, Megatron. The first time Megatron held him. All the times Megaton kissed him goodnight. His first taint session with him. One memory, in particular, stood out.

He was 28 in the memory. Megaton had been teaching him how to redirect blows when Bee asked, "Why do I have to learn to fight?" Megatron stilled his servos. Bee filled them with his little ones and walked closer.

"Do you know why I have to leave many times a week?" was Megatron's reply.

Bumblebee scrunched up his face adorably in thought. "You have to fight to survive. And so does everyone else." At his caretaker's nod, he continued, "But why?"

"It is simply the way things are. But I, along with others, am fighting to change. One day, things will not be 'the way things are.' They will be what we make them be. We will be able to choose."

"Then what about fate?"

"Fate is a fickle thing," he said after a moment's pause. But I do believe that we have been brought together by fate's guiding servo. Free to choose our destiny from there. And I choose to spend my life with you, you little scraplet." He tickled Bee's midsection, cherishing the childish giggles. "Now, show me what you can do."

"I'll grow up in whatever world I need to, Meggy. And if I have to fight for it, I'll make you proud!"

A voice brought him back to the present. "Say goodbye, runt. I doubt you'll be seeing your mentor anytime soon if his winning streak continues."

At the moment that Azrael brought down his blade, Bee reacted. His senses sharpened and he became hyperaware of everything around him. His reflexes sharpened and he twisted to meet the blade head-on. A resounding clang rang throughout the arena. Sharpened because of the cried silence.

Bumblebee had caught the sword between his tiny servos. He threw the blade aside, making sure it sunk into the ground. He snatched up his dagger and leaped onto Azrael's spiked knee armor. Bee launched himself off of the metal and drove his knee armor into his opponent's chassis at a small crevice between two plates of armor. Meanwhile, he expertly stabbed his knife between the cables in Azrael's neck, stopping just before his main line.

Azrael released his staff and stumbled backward until he fell. "H-h... How?"

"Yield, Azrael. It matters not how. Not now. Yield, and you will be spared." The tone Bumblebee used was cold, foreign to the cheerful sparkling.

The white mech stared at Bee in shock. Bee nudged his knee deeper into his chassis, just tickling his spark. The gladiator's vents hitched and he gasped, "I yield to you, Bumblebee. You are the victor."

Bumblebee carefully pulled his knee armor out of Azrael's chest and did the same with his dagger before dashing away in case the winged mech went back on his words. He looked to the silent crowd as Megatron entered the arena. Everyone was speechless.

"My name is Bumblebee. I may be a sparkling, but I am a fighter. And I will fight for my future, my friends, and for Cybertron! I AM A FIGHTER!"

The crowd went wild. The little sparkling had defeated Kaon's "Angel of Death," who was currently being helped to the medbay by Hook. Slowly, but surely, their words became one word, one name, repeated over and over again.

"Bumblebee! Bumblebee! Bumblebee!"

Megatron came to Bumblebee and lifted him onto his shoulders. Bee stood and roared a battle cry as he pumped his fist into the air. For the first time in his short life-cycle, he had felt the rush of a fight. The natural high sharpening his senses and quickening his reflexes. He felt pride rush into his spark as the crowd kept chanting.

"Bumblebee! Bumblebee! Bumblebee"


	20. Crystal Clear

"Are we there yet?"

"Not yet, Sweet Bee," Scythe said.

One breem passed.

"How about now?"

"Still no, squirt," Sideswipe said.

Two breems passed.

"Are we-"

"You've been asking us that for the last thirty breems, Bee! We aren't there yet! Just a few more joors. Then we'll be there." Sunstreaker sighed, exasperated, and returned to staring out the window.

"But I'm bored!" he whined, his doorwings fluttering for emphasis. "My helm hurts from reading the first three chapters of 'The Intergalactic Species Compendimus-"

"Compendium, bitlet," Ravage corrected him from his spot on the floor.

"Yeah, compendismu." Sideswipe snickered at Bee's pronunciation of the word. "I also solved the cube-of-cubes three times, and I drew a picture of everything I could think of with the art pad and the charcoal pens Sunny and Sides gave me." The yellow twin grunted at the nickname. "I'm out of things to do."

"What about recharge?" Ravage asked. "You did have to wake up during fourth night shift."

"I'm not tired!" Bee said through a yawn. Scythe just smiled and pulled the rapidly tiring sparkling into her lap. Once the beat of her spark filled his audials, he was out like a light.

**x x x x x**

  
Five joors later, they arrived at Transit's Depot. It was a small, dilapidated station, much like the shuttle itself, but it was small and would hopefully avoid detection. It was also cheaper.

The group moved towards the designated transformation area and changed into their alts. Scythe's motorcycle form was too small to hold the recharging sparkling, so Sideswipe offered to carry him in his sports car alt. Sunstreaker had a yellow version of the same alt, but he was a little pickier about his finish. However, he did allow Ravage in his cab with the agreement that any scratches would be reimbursed.

From the obscure station, the drive to the Crystal Gardens took a few more breems. Luckily, Bee was in recharge. Though he would've loved to see the tall, spiraling buildings, built to let the wind curve around them. This let the wind hit the wind chimes hanging within the curves, their gentle tinkling filling pockets of silence with music.

They rounded the corner of Main and Prime and saw Orion and Jazz waiting in the alt lot. The group parked in a few spots and transformed. Scythe carefully extracted Bee from Sideswipe's alt while Ravage jumped out of Sunstreaker's.

"So, yer da group Megatron said was comin'," the Polyhexian said. "Name's Jazz. Pleased ta meet ya." He held out his servo for them to shake.

Scythe took it first. "My name is Scythe. The twins are Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, red and yellow respectively. The cat is Ravage. And you already know Bumblebee."

"Indeed we do. My name is Orion," said the red and blue mech standing next to Jazz. He also held out his servo for them to shake.

Scythe rubbed Bumblebee's cheek with her thumb and whispered, " Sweetspark, we're here."

Bee groggily yawned and blinked owlishly. He slowly turned and saw Orion standing there with Jazz. "Oreo! Jazzy!"

They both chuckled. "How's mah li'l mechlin' doin'?" Jazz asked while obliging to Bee's fist bump.

"It's been cool! I had my first match and I won!"

Jazz looked at Scythe with worry. "I'll explain later," she said. "If you're awake enough, Bee, you and Ravage can explore the gardens with the twins. Mechlings!"

"We're not mechlings!" they yelled back from a patch of lunaflors Sunstreaker was trying to draw.

"But we'd be glad to watch Squirt for a while," Sideswipe said. Sunstreaker hummed his agreement. Scythe set Bumblebee on the ground, who then ran to give Orion and Jazz a quick hug before running off to the twins with Ravage.

**x x x x x**

  
"What's that?" Bumblebee pointed to a group of golden flowers.

"Those are gilded lilies," Ravage replied.

"What about those?" He pointed to some blue, spark-shaped flowers drooping from their stems in a line.

"Those are bleeding sparks," the feline replied.

"Oh! I know these!" Bee jumped up and down excitedly, pointing to a group of colorful flowers floating in the oil ponds. "Those are neon nympheas!"

"That's right, bitlet."

"Kitty!"

"We already agreed to disagree, little one."

The yellow sparkling let air burst past his lips in boredom. The flowers were pretty, sure. He had drawn a picture of each one at different angles to show Shockwave when they got home. However, Sunny was still drawing pictures, Sideswipe was haggling with a gift shop attendant, Scythe and the other mechs were discussing... something, and Ravage looked like he wanted nothing more than to curl up on a bench and soak in the sunlight.

Wait.

Correction: Ravage was currently curled up on a bench, soaking in the sunlight.

And now he was in recharge.

Some bodyguard.

Oh well. This gave Bee more freedom to walk around. He strolled through the iodine ixias and the osmium orchids. He passed by the platinum poppies and had just rounded a bend of pitbores when he heard sniffling. Peeing around the leaves of a copper rose bush, he saw a couple holding each other as lubricant streaked down their faces.

Without a second thought, he picked a few roses and walked up to the couple. They opened their optics to see a little sparkling holding up a bunch of copper roses for them.

"Thank you, little one. You're very kind," the femme said. She had deep, midnight black plating, but she was iridescent under the sun. When the light hit her plating at just the right angle, one could see brilliant blues, deep violets, and dark greens take over. Her aquamarine optics had a carrier's pain in them.

The mech with her was clad in black plating that, in the right light, burst with tiny white, blue, and yellow stars. His teal optics had a sire's pain in them. Both bots had doorwings and chevrons, a sign of their Praxian descent.

"You're welcome," Bee replied. If it's okay with you, why are you crying?"

"Our daughter died this orn 32 vorns ago," the mech said. "She'd only given birth to the most handsome bitlet a vorn earlier when a mech came to kill them both. A red demon, he was. Our little femme killed for having a miracle newspark."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Bee said. Suddenly, a memory of his carrier came to his processor and he started to cry too.

"Oh, don't cry, little one." The femme picked him up and cradled him near her spark. The memory shifted a hidden one of his grandcreators. He cried harder.

"I-It's j-just that I l-l-lost my carrier 32 vo-orns ago. I t-turned 33 t-t-two orns ago-o. She was p-p-pretty. Her creat-tors were nice t-too," Bee stuttered through his tears.

The mech gently wiped the trails of lubricant with his thumb. "You know little one. You look like you could be our grandson. You're almost like our little femme too. Same color scheme, same kindness, even the same optics..."

"Bumblebee! Where are you?!"

"Is that femme calling for you, little one?" the mech asked. Bumblebee nodded, yawning. "Come on, Little Bee. Let's bring you back." They made to stand, but before they could, Scythe and Jazz came running around the corner with Orion hot on their pedes.

"Oh, thank the AllSpark! Thank you for taking care of him," Scythe said, gasping for air to cool down her systems.

'You have a very sweet sparkling, dearie," said the black femme. "He reminds us of our daughter."

"Well, he should," Jazz said. "Yeh're Solstice's creaters, aren't yeh?"

"We are," said the mech. "My name is Starshot and this is my sparkmate, Galaxy."

"Well, accordin' ta our CNA records, Bumblebee is 'er sparklin'."

"That's wonderful!" Galaxy exclaimed. "Oh, Starry, our sparkling's alive and here! Who do were need to thank?"

Scythe answered her, "Well, Megatron is his official caretaker, but you know the saying. It takes a village to raise a child."

The couples' optic ridge shot upwards. "Our grandson grew up in the Pits of Kaon!?" Starshot exclaimed. "That's no place for a sparkling!"

"I can protect myself! I won my first fight last orn!" Bee proclaimed proudly. This only worsened the couples' looks of horror.

"I'm afraid that isn't improving the situation, little one," Orion whispered.

Galaxy hugged Bee closer to her chassis as Starshot said, "We won't let our grandchild be raised in the pits!"

"Well, you're a bit late for that," Scythe drawled. "He's spent the last 32 vorns there."

"You'll raise him to be a killer! Why Megatron must be the most ruthless of them all!" the black mech said.

"Hey, we all came to fight for our lives because we didn't want to fight for our survival!" the blue and tan femme hissed. "If you can't accept that we come from a station lower than yours, then you aren't fit to raise Bee!"

"We raised Solstice just fine! She grew up honest and loving and kind. Never had anything to do with risky business," said Galaxy.

"I'm afraid I have ta disagree, ma'am," Jazz said with a slight bow of his helm. "Accordin' ta our research, yer daughter got inta an affair wit' Sentinel Prime and somehow ended up sparked wit' Bee."

Galaxy and Starshot closed their optics. "Oh no," said Starshot. "We always knew she was going through it, but we had hoped..."

"Through what, may we ask?" Orion pitched in.

"As a low-class courier for nobles, we knew that they didn't treat her kindly. In fact, they were very..." Galaxy trailed off and glanced at Bee before continuing. "lascivious."

"What does that mean?" Bee asked.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Sweet Bee," Scythe whispered hoarsely.

"We tried to get her to open up. But one orn she just up and left. That very afternoon, she came home happier than ever. A few cycles later and we find out she's sparked! Imagine our surprise when she told us we were going to be grandcreators." A drop of lubricant slid down Galaxy's cheek.

"But Sentinel his sire? He got to her the night after she found out she was sparked. It couldn't have been him," Starshot said.

"But our scans showed that Bumblebee has a faint bond with the bastard," Scythe snarled as she referred to Sentinel.

"You mean the tingly in my spark that keeps repeating 'Where are you?' over and over again?" Bee asked. Everyone stared at him in shock.

"Bumblebee," Orion said, "What is it saying right now?"

Bee scrunched up his face. No one could pay attention to how cute it looked. "Um. Where are you? Tell me where you are. Where are you? What do you see? Ow!"

"Ow?" Orion asked.

"It feels like someone pinched my spark. Now the tingly's saying 'Crystal Gardens' on repeat."

They didn't time to react when an EMP grenade knocked them all out.


	21. Family

"Argh." Orion slowly picked himself up off the hard ground and got to his pedes. A wave of dizziness washed over him as he stumbled onto the bench. He leaned against a cold, bumpy wall and was about to blackout again when a shot grazed his shoulder. He yelped and looked at the "wall" with dread. Galaxy and Starshot were both dead, a gaping hole replacing the brilliant sparks that once beat there. Just beyond them, he saw a red and gold mech bearing the Prime's guard insignia running away with a small bundle.

"Librarian!" someone called. He finally noticed the fight taking place right in front of him. "We could use some help here, Pax!" The voice belonged to Ravage.

Orion leaped to his pedes and transreadied the blasters hidden in his forearms. He shot down a mech that tried to run his sword through Scythe's unconscious frame and distracted him long enough for Sunstreaker to slice his helm off. Stunned, the data clerk watched the metal bounce to the ground, each clang getting quieter and quieter and quieter and-

"Pax!" Ravage called again. "Get your helm in the game!"

Orion shook the dread off and rejoined the fray. At this point, Jazz and Scythe had finally come to. Together, the drove off the palace guards until Scythe beheaded the last one.

Flicking her wrists to hide her scythes, she asked frantically, "Where's Bumblebee?! Bumblebee!"

"I remember seeing someone run away with something," Orion said. "It could've been Bumblebee, but I wasn't able to see what he was holding.

"What did he look like? Which way was he going?" Scythe asked. She pulled him down and shook him. "WHERE IS HE?!"

Jazz yanked her back and told her to call down. "We'll get our Bee back. Don't get yer turbos in a twist."

"He was well-built and had a red and gold finish, well-maintained," the data clerk said.

"A city mech?" Sunstreaker asked.

"Or someone who focuses too much on his looks, Sunny!" his twin teased. The yellow one rammed into him and they started to brawl.

This was a bad idea, as Scythe was already near her breaking point. "ENOUGH!" she yelled. "Do you want to lose your prankster-in-training? No? Then PAY ATTENTION!" The twins stopped immediately and hung their helms, properly chastised.

Orion continued, "He bore the insignia of the Prime's guard."

"Of course the coward would send another mech to do his dirty work," Ravage hissed.

"But if Sentinel wants Li'l Bee dead, why not have da mech kill 'im right den and dere? He had da chance," Jazz wondered aloud.

Scythe pulled their return tickets out of her subspace after some fishing. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that we're wasting time. Someone call Megatron," Scythe ordered. It seemed she was taking control of the situation.

"I called him the moment I heard the EMP go off. He's en route to Iacon right now. ETA 10 breems," Ravage informed them.

"Good. Mechlings, get a refund for mine and Bee's tickets. Go home on the shuttle and tell the others. Ravage, you go with them. Soundwave and Shockwave can monitor us from Kaon." Sideswipe and Sunstreaker have her a mock salute and hightailed it for the alt lot with Ravage hot on their pedes.

Scythe turned back to the other two. "Come on, boys. Let's get our little Bee back."

**x x x x x**

  
Bumblebee suppressed a whimper when he woke up. The EMP grenade had nearly fried his systems. Now he was stuck inside the small cab of a strange mech.

"Oh. I see you've woken up, runt," the red and gold said. "It's not my place to question my superior's orders, but if I were him, I'd have killed you on the spot."

"Who are you," Bumblebee asked.

"Shut up, weakling," he responded.

"My friends will find me. And when they do, you'll be roadkill!"

"Oh, they've done a great job of protecting you so far. Just ask your grandcreators." His kidnapper laughed menacingly. "Wait. I forgot! They're dead!"

"W-w-what?" Bee stammered. "No, no, no."

"I suppose you didn't see them, being unconscious. The other guards managed to shoot them first. They were about to kill you too, but I reminded them that Prime wanted you alive-"

"NO, NO, NO! Why does everyone I love get hurt?! The red mech killed my carrier! Then the pit master tried to kill me and my friends! Then someone tried to blow up me and Meggy! Then my grandcreators! Who's next?!"

Before the strange mech could do or say anything, something crashed down right in front of them. The mech had to serve to avoid crashing, causing the crying sparkling to be thrown to the other side of the cab. He was then sent flying when his kidnapper changed to root form.

Bumblebee braced for impact, but it never came. Instead, he found himself in the arms of the one mech he did and didn't want to see.

His doorwings drooping, the sparkling looked away as lubricant streaked down his face. "Go away, Meggy. You're gonna get hurt," he cried.

Worried, Megatron cupped his ward's cheek and asked, "What do you mean, Bee?"

"My carrier's dead. My grandcreators are dead. You're probably next. I don't want you to die!"

Megatron shot the guard without sparing him a glance. His servos strayed to his helmless neck out of reflex before his red and gold frame faded to gray. The gladiator hugged Bumblebee close to his spark. The sparkling did not purr like he used to.

"Do you hear that, Bumblebee?"

"It's your spark."

"Is it still there?"

"Well, yeah."

"And it will always be there for as long as you need me. I'm not going anywhere, Bee."

Bee sniffed and whispered, "Promise?"

Megatron kissed his helm. "Promise."

Bumblebee finally allowed himself to snuggle into his caretaker's neck cabling and purr contentedly.

"I love you, Meggy!" he whispered.

"Ooh, I love you too, Bumblebee. More than you'll ever know."

Their little moment was interrupted when the sound of engines came closer and closer. They looked up to see Scythe, Orion, and Jazz transform while still moving.

"Oh my Primus! Bumblebee! Megatron! You're okay!" Scythe exclaimed as she rushed them both. Megatron chuckled and altered his grip so they could all embrace each other. Orion and Jazz smiled fondly as they watched the pseudo-family sink to the floor in a shower of hugs and kisses, most of the latter being Scythe's

"Fer a seasoned gladiator, he sure is sweet wit' dem," Jazz whispered to Orion.

"I know," Orion replied. "I hope they stay like this forever."

"What? Sweet?" Orion chuckled and shook his helm at this.

"Family."


	22. Painted

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker peered around the corner at their target. At their pedes, a little black and yellow sparkling also peeked his helm around the wall.

"Guns?"

"Check."

"Ammo?"

"Check."

"Grenades?"

"Check."

"Sparkling scapegoat?"

"Hey!"

"Check."

"Then let's do this thing," Sideswipe said as he loaded his weapon. Sunstreaker turned the safety off of his gun while Bumblebee counted his grenades and the nanokliks until his plan went into motion.

The trio crept down the empty hallway, bent down and poised in "cop raid position." Just before they could fire, the target turned around...

To see no one there.

The target shrugged and continued on his way. Once the target entered the training room, Bee and twins quietly dropped from the ceiling.

"That was close," Sunny remarked over the temporary short-range comm system they had set up earlier.

Bee's doorwings flicked anxiously as he said, "Target cornered. Let's paint the ground with blue." The twins gave him matching smirks as they went into position on either side of the door. They would kick down the door and run in guns blazing while Bee followed up with grenades. The target would be a brand new color if they succeeded.

"On three," Sides said over the comm.

"3, 2, 1..."

_BANG_

"What the-?!"

The twins kicked down the door to the firing range and opened fire on the target. The target ducked behind a barrier and held his blaster close to his chest. When the noise died down, the target jumped from his hiding place and fired at his assailants...

To find that his plasma had been replaced with neon pink paint.

Sunstreaker, who was now dripping with said neon pink paint, yelled, "What the-? WHOEVER REPLACED HIS PLASMA WITH PAINT IS GOING TO THE SCRAPHEAP!"

They heard giggling near the door. Turning around, they saw Bumblebee doubled over in laughter. "You look good in pink, Sunny. But you need a makeover too, Meggy." The sparkling unsubspaced a small remote control and clicked the single, red button in the middle.

The ceiling panels directly on top of them retracted and dispensers took their place. Paint in all shades of color, from rusty red to oily black, sprayed from above the poor mechs. When the dispensers ran out, which only took a few nanokliks, Megatron, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker were covered, helm to pede, in every color but their own. Sideswipe sported a dashing neon blue and green with splashes of grey. Sunstreaker rocked a brilliant orange with white stripes. And Megatron was fuming in red and teal paint.

"BUMBLEBEE!"

Suddenly, Bee didn't find the situation so funny anymore. "Uh. You look good, Meggy! Red is so your color?" The last part came out as a question as the three victims stalked closer to the sparkling.

"What's going on in hERE!?" Someone bumped into Bumblebee from behind, causing him to drop his grenades. The lights flickered on them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, darling!" Scythe looked at the mess in the training room. "Ugh! Look at this mess! And I know just the mechs who are going to clean this up." The three mechs groaned. Bee quickly hid his smirk but wasn't fast enough. "You too, little mister."

"Aww!" Bee groaned.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

"What's that noise?" Megatron asked.

The twins started and yelled, "The gren-!"

BOOM

They never finished the bombs went off and showered the closest bots in bright paint. When the last one went off, Scythe and Bumblebee also sported new looks. Bee actually looked quite regal, and sort of familiar, in white paint with blue and gold streaks. However, Scythe was a different story. She was now a very hot pink with dark purple splotches.

"BUMBLEBEE!"

Bee gulped. 'Second time in two breems. I'm outta here!' the sparkling thought as he made a run for his life. The others followed as quickly as they could on the slippery paint.

Bee dashed down the hall and managed a tight turn around the corner. The twins were able to run around the corner with some difficulty as well. However, Megatron and Scythe weren't so lucky. The larger gladiator slipped on some paint the twins left behind and slid right into Scythe. They both tumbled over each other into the supply closet in front of them, the door slamming shut behind them. In trying to extricate themselves from one another, they only managed to tangle themselves up even more.

"Well, this is a very... ahem... awkward situation," Scythe said.

Megatron had nothing to say on the matter. Having the femme's legs wrapped around his waist was a dream come true. Literally.

"Well, you do look good in pink," Megatron commented.

"I hate pink! It's so... femme-y!"

"Frankly, you look good covered in anything."

"Do I?"

"You are very beautiful. More so than any femme I've ever met," Megatron said, caressing her cheek.

"I'm the only femme you've ever met," she laughed.

"Well, there was Galaxy."

"She's not your type."

"You are," he purred.

"Do you think I'd still be your type in your berth?" she purred back.

"You want a test drive?"

"Do I?" She pulled him in for a kiss right on the lips. It quickly deepened with the two moaning quietly.

Before their cooling fans could come on, the closet door opened. They were met with visages of Dagger and Soundwave. Dagger spoke first. "There you two are! Bee's got a dislocated shoulder from hanging onto the- OH MY PRIMUS! THE SHIP HAS SAILED! THE OTP IS TRUE! ALL HAIL MEGSCYTHE! Megscy? ScyMegs. Megscythe. Whatever."

Soundwave joined Dagger in his mad giggling while helping the two love birds out of the closet. Scythe immediately slapped the two of them and said, "Come on, idiots! We've got bigger things to deal with!"

"Yeah. Like your fertility. OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!" Dagger yelled, clutching his crotch.

"You don't joke about a lady's sex life. It's rude. Now let's go find Bee, hmm? I've got a few words to share with him after Hook relocates his shoulder."


	23. Decepticon

In the medbay, Megatron and Scythe found Hook attempting to relocate Bumblebee's shoulder. The sparkling, trying to hold in his tears, was venting heavily as he bit down on a piece of metal.

"Okay, on 3," Hook said. Bumblebee nodded. "1, 3." Skipping 2 entirely, he caught Bee off guard and moved his shoulder joint back into place. Bee screeched and his optics became wet with lubricant.

Scythe walked up to him and gave him a cold look. Bee immediately wiped his optics and looked down at his lap. "I'm sorry, Scythe."

"Not everyone appreciates these sorts of things, Bumblebee. And you have to be mindful of the messes you leave behind," she told him.

"I know that now, Scythe."

The femme used a digit to tilt his helm up and said, "You and the twins will be cleaning up the paint you used until you are all done. You will also assist Hook in fixing our weapons since you took it upon yourself to replace the ammo."

"Yes, Scythe."

She gave him a soft smile and gently hugged him to her chest. "I must say, you do look good in those colors, Bumblebee."

The sparkling looked down at the blue and gold paint that streaked his now white frame. "I kinda look like those representations of Primus in the texts Shockwave showed me."

"Yeah, you really do," Hook agreed. Suddenly, his optics lit up. "Out. Out of my medbay!" he said, shoving Megatron and Scythe out the door.

"What for?" Megatron asked.

"I have an idea and I need to test it. Tell Shockwave to come here if you meet him. Now shoo!" The two bots stood, stunned, as the door to the medbay shut in their faces.

"Well," Scythe said after a minute. "That was rude."

Megatron's optics brightened in realization. "Bumblebee is occupied right now, correct?"

Scythe smirked in understanding, " Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Most certainly."

"Then let's wash this gunk off before we head out."

**x x x x x**

"THIS IS NOT WHAT I WAS THINKING!"

Most textbooks described the Badlands between Kaon and the "rest of civilization" as flat, rusty, dusty, lifeless, and boring. However, these books were written by high caste idiots who never left their hab suites.

"WOOO!"

No, the Badlands were anything but that. Flat? They were pockmarked and had jagged pieces of plating jutting out of the ground. Lifeless? They were teeming with life in the form of struthios and lacerti. Rusty and dusty? Okay, that was true, but the rust and dust made for rolling dunes to bash into on a windy day. Boring? Never.

"YEAAAH!"

This was why Scythe, Megatron, and Dagger could be found dune bashing in the Badlands on that bright, Byrd afternoon while Soundwave soared above them. Dagger was skidding and drifting over the hills. Scythe was having trouble getting traction on the "sands," but she reveled in racing off the jagged plates like they were ramps. Now, Megatron...

"AHHH!"

Being a mining tank was only good for mining, which he wasn't doing anymore. His treads slipped over the sand. They only went two speeds: slow and slower. Slower only made him kick up dust. Slow made him kick it up faster as he sank into the ground.

Finally, he slid to a stop and said, "Enough! I need a new alt mode."

"At last!" Dagger said dramatically. "You are totally overdue for an alt change. If you're going to use a tank, you need a war tank!"

"No, go for something different. Maybe all-terrain?" Scythe suggested.

"I bet Hook could hook you up with a flight engine, no pun intended," Soundwave said.

Megatron looked at thoughtfully and said, "Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"What doesn't sound like a bad idea?" the flyer asked.

"If I took a flight alt, we could gain more jet followers. Right now, our supports are mostly grounders, mini-cons and beast based Cybertronians."

"Seriously?" Dagger put his servos on his hips.

"I could also get to Bee faster without having to wait through an Xpress shuttle ticket line to Iacon and jumping out of the emergency exit window while moving 200 megakliks per joor!"

They all stood silently for a klik in remembrance of that momentous orn three megacycles ago. First, the discovery of Bee's grandcreators, followed by the shock of Sentinel not being Bee's sire yet still being able to track him through a faint bond that existed for reasons that only Primus knew why. Two deaths, a kidnapping, a frantic femme, and a ticked-off mech later, and the pseudo-family was back together.

"Well," Soundwave said, breaking the silence. "A flight capable alt mode certainly has its advantages."

"And I hear flight engines rev louder," Scythe purred as she leaned against Megatron's chassis.

"Hey, keep it PG! We've got viewers!" Dagger exclaimed.

"Oh please. There's no one here but us," the femme said.

"Then you can tell that to the battle-ready mechs coming over that crest," the black mech said. They turned to see that he was right. Hundreds of armed mechs were marching towards them.

"Get back to Kaon. Dagger, rally the other gladiators to defend the city. Scythe, anyone who doesn't want to fight is to be directed to the arena stands, including but not limited to femmes, newsparks, sparklings, and younglings. Soundwave, you and Shockwave are to monitor what happens next from the console. Tell Hook to stand by, just in case," Megatron ordered.

"And you?" Scythe asked.

"I'll stop at the gates while you three keep going. I'm going to see what these idiots want. Let's go."

"That's a lame call," Dagger said.

Soundwave slapped him before transforming. "We don't have time for this, Dagger!"

They all tore off in their alts. "We do if we want to make an impression on them! We need a name other than Kaonians. After all, we aren't the only ones who want to liberate Cybertron from the caste system."

"For once, Dagger, the words that came out of your voicebox weren't gibberish," the dark jet returned.

"We are liberating Cybertron. Liberators?"

"No. Liberalism is already a political faction," Megatron told him.

"We want autonomy. Autobots?"

"Orion actually suggested that name to me last cycle. It certainly has a ring to it."

They reached rusted city gates. Megatron transformed to a halt while the others kept moving. The gray gladiator then turned to face the military mechs who dared to show their ugly mugs there.

A mech decorated in camo plating stopped and transformed, signaling the others to do so as well. To someone in the air, it almost looked like a wave.

The camo mech turned on a speaker and bellowed, "This is General Gauntlet of Fort Scyk, Stanix. By order of the High Council of Cybertron, all supporters of the gang leader, Megatron are to surrender immediately. Megatron himself is to walk forward for his arrest."

Megatron laughed at this. His voice was carried across the field by the wind and sounded eerie to the battalion. "As if we would surrender to the likes of you! We will fight for the rights of Cybertron's downtrodden! And if we have to trod on you to do it, so be it!"

"Are you threatening a general of Cybertron's army?"

Megatron placed a servo on his chest in exaggeration. "Me? Perish the thought!" He unsheathed his blade and looked at his reflection. "But you happen to be threatening my home city and my brothers and sisters in arms. I suggest you retreat now before something happens to your precious platoon."

"So you refuse to surrender, Decepticon?"

Megatron raised an optic ridge at the moniker but said, "I refuse to bow down to the likes of you."

"Then you have sealed your fate." Gauntlet grinned wildly as he turned off the speaker. He had waited vorns for a fiery moment like this.

::Are the others ready?:: Megatron asked Dagger over the temporary comms Soundwave and Shockwave had set up.

::The troops are locked and loaded, oh mighty Megatron. They're waiting to pour thought exits.::

::Excellent.:: He switched to Scythe's frequency. ::Have you secured the ones who do not wish to fight?::

::It's mostly just sparked femmes and other carriers, but they're going to be safe and sound here. There are a few mechs and femmes guarding the arena entrances in case we are breached.::

::Excellent.:: He switched to Hook. ::Are you on stand by?::

::Ready and waiting. Though I hope I won't need to be ready.::

::As do I.:: He switched to Soundwave. ::Can you see us?::

::Clear as day. There are 250 soldiers out there. Are you sure you want to do this?::

Megatron sighed. ::I don't want violence to be the answer. But if Cybertron wants to fight, then we shall let them know that you should never take on a gladiator from Kaon.::

The connection cut off. He heard Dagger's voice in his helm. ::Did they actually call us Decepticons?::

::Their dumb general did.::

::I actually like it. Megatron, leader of the Decepticon revolution! Liberator of... the deceived! For Cybertron!::

"Attack!"

Megatron heard the mechs charging and told Dagger to let the troops out. Hundreds of Kaonians came into view and readied themselves for meaningful action.

"Brothers and sisters. Our time is limited but we shall accomplish much. Cybertron sends a battalion to destroy our views, but we shall not stand idly by and watch them take our freedom. We are children of Primus! We demand rights. And we will fight anyone who dared to stop us. Are you with me?!"

The crowd cheered. So that was why one could find Megatron, Scythe, and Dagger They were buzzing with excitement and ready to defend their city from those foolish soldiers.

"For Cybertron!"

The cheer rose higher.

"Onward, Decepticons!"


	24. The Plan

The two opposing groups ran at each other and began to fire. However, Megatron, Dagger, and Scythe were in for a surprise. Bright blue paint jettisoned is from their blasters, covering their targets in it.

::BUMBLEBEE!:: Megatron yelled through his comm.

::Um. Yes, Meggy?:: his little voice asked nervously.

::Why did you have to replace our plasma with PAINT?!::

::Uh. But look! They think they're dying.::

It was true. All the mechs Dagger, Scythe, and Megatron covered in blue paint thought they were covered in their own energon. They were screaming and panicking like there was no tomorrow, which for them, was true. Especially after the trio extinguished their sparks.

::While that's very amusing dear:: Scythe said. ::Paint won't kill them.::

::But it is confusing them and blinding them. What if we did it to them all?:: Bee asked.

::You mean incapacitate them all so we can kill them like agneaus to the slaughter?:: The comms fell silent at what-no-how Dagger said that. He rolled his optics and said ::What? can't I be smart for once?::

::Sure, it's just really weird, Dags.:: Scythe replied.

::But Bee has a point, right?:: he asked.

::Well, yeah, but how would we get them all?:: she asked back.

::If we had a large gun...:: Megatron pondered.

::Don't you already have one?:: Scythe purred.

::Sparkling listening in!:: Soundwave reminded them.

::But Meggy does have a big gun. It's on his arm.::

::Um. Yeah. Yeah, let's go with that one, sweetie.:: she said, grateful for the excuse.

::Does he have another one?::

::No!:: the others yelled

::Yes!:: Silence followed Scythe's response. If they hadn't been tearing through the chassis of Sentinel's warriors, they'd be staring at her coldly. ::Uh, I mean no! No! No. Only one gun. The most important one. It shall protect us.::

::I know. But Shockwave says Kaon still has a big gun to protect the city. If we could get it up and running.::

::Correct.:: Shockwave said. ::There is a model XTR4 gun hidden under the city. It has been inactive since the Quintesson occupation. All that it needs to function is energon.::

::I don't think we have enough.:: Soundwave said. ::We only get 7% of the energon we mine as it is.::

::So no plasma or energon blasts. No biggie. We're using paint right?:: Dagger asked.

::Where would we get that much paint though?:: Megatron asked as he crushed a helm with his bare servos. The answer came to him and everyone else as soon as he said it.

**x x x x x**

Sideswipe answered his comm. ::Terror Twins at your service. How may we help you?::

::Knock it off, Sideswipe.:: his twin said.

::Okay.:: The red mech decapitated the mech in front of him and kicked his helm, knocking down a second mech. ::Happy?::

::Oh brother.::

::Yes, dear twin o' mine?::

::If you two are done bickering, we need a favor.:: Scythe told them.

::Only if it cancels out our earlier favor.:: Sideswipe said.

::You only need to clean the training room.::

::Half.::

::Three quarters.::

::Five eighths.::

::You really want to make a sparkling clean up a whole room and the hallways? Three quarters or no deal.::

::Deal.::

::Good. How much paint do you have?::

::What do you want paint for?::

:: We're gonna load the XTR4 gun Kaon has with it. We're gonna stun the soldiers with their own "energon".:: Dagger laughed.

Sideswipe barked a laugh as well. ::Serves these undertrained idiots right.:: He impaled another mech on his blade.

::Tell us where the paint is, already!:: Megatron growled.

::Custodial closet 5.:: Sunstreaker answered.

::Get the paint to the gun with your twin.:: Megatron ordered.

::One order of blue paint coming up.:: Sideswipe said as he and his twin flattened the soldiers, driving over them in their alts as they raced back.

::Dagger, accompany Shockwave to wherever the gun is.:

::Aye aye, boss.:: Dagger said as he sliced a mech lengthwise before falling back to the arena complex.

::Soundwave, reroute as much energon as we can afford if we cut everyone's rations by 30%. Wait for Shockwave to give you the green light:: Megatron ordered.

::That's 11% of our energon to the gun. Estimated completion in 21 breems.:: the faceless mech said.

::Added to the time it takes Shockwave to fix the piece of scrap- OW! WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON, FEMME!?:: The black mech had cursed as he passed Scythe on his way back. She had spared his ball bearings, but still gave him a sharp whack over his helm. One of the soldiers snickered before being brutally crushed by Dagger's snake alt-mode. His frame sparked in at least forty places as his frame crashed to the ground.

"Sparkling on the line! No swearing!" Scythe yelled at him as he passed her.

::We have a plan. Now let's put it in motion.:: Megatron said.


	25. Anything

Shockwave briskly walked through the halls of the complex. Once he was outside, he shifted into his war tank alt-mode and thundered towards the XTR4 gun, unaware of the little mech tailing him.

Bumblebee had given Soundwave and his cassettes the slip when he said he wanted to go to the barracks to clean his armor. Ravage had gone with him and was currently waiting at the door. Bee had sneaked out of an air vent and crawled through them as fast as he could until he made it to a big gun looking thing. What could he say? He knew a bunch of shortcuts.

By the time he had gotten there, Shockwave and Dagger were just arriving. The black gladiator stood guard as the purple scientist stepped up to the first site of damage, unsubspaced a welder with his good servo, and got to work.

Not being able to use his cannon didn't hinder Megatron in the slightest. He simply sliced and tore his way through his opponents ruthlessly. Sentinel was a fool for sending these mechs to kill them. They were seasoned gladiators, warriors of the arena, while these "soldiers" had never seen a fight in their lives beyond basic training.

One soldier stepped to him, swinging a spiked mace. "You're a disgrace to Cybertron, Decepticon! It's in your name!"

"Funny. I don't recall coming up with the moniker," the gladiator said as he tangled the mace's chain around his blade and yanked it free of the soldier's arm. The mech yelped as energon poured from the wound. Megatron laughed at the noise he made. "A real fighter only grunts." The gray mech plunged his servo into the soldier's spark chamber. The mech gasped as he felt the servo enclose his spark and yank it out. The last image he saw was Megatron moving on to his next opponent, dispatching him with ease as well.

**x** **x x x x**

The helms were flying as Scythe weaved and slashed at anyone that dared to fight her. Most of them never knew what hit them before they saw their frames drop to the ground from midair before their neural net lost power. The femme was like a deadly assassin on the battlefield and the soldiers were learning the hard way.

Suddenly, a foreign blade just grazed her armor, sparks flying from the metallic impact. She turned and saw a bulky mech smirking at her. "A pretty femme like yourself shouldn't be on the battlefield," he jested.

"Speak for yourself," Scythe returned. The mech's optics widened and he roared as he charged her. The lithe femme smirked and jumped onto the mech's shoulders. She swung around his neck using her curved scythes, yanking as she finished her arc. The soldier's helm swing off of his neck, attached by a few stray wires. The last thing he saw was a blue blur dashing towards it's next victim.

**x** **x x x x**

16 breems later, Shockwave stood up and pressed a button on the control panel. The screen flickered to life. ::The gun has been repaired.:: he intoned.

::Fill 'er up, Wave!:: Dagger said.

::One energon to go. Coming right up!:: The faceless mech pressed a few buttons on his end as the screen monitored the energon flow.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker raced into the room, each pulling a magcart of bright blue paint behind them. "Did someone order paint?" the red twin joked.

"Just in time, mechs. We just started transferring the energon," Dagger said.

"Empty the cans in here," Shockwave pointed to the plasma chamber. "I already configured the gun to use paint. Now I must figure out why it is not receiving energon."

"It's not getting energon?" Dagger asked. ::Soundwave, are you hearing this?::

::My screen says the transfer is 10% complete. There must be a leak somewhere along the way.::

::It takes almost a joor to get from the arena to the gun. We don't have enough time to search the whole thing!:: Dagger said.

::We can't take much more of this either. Hiyah!:: Scythe said, grunts of effort breaking up her speech. ::Gauntlet's just calling in more soldiers. Ha!::

::And the medbay's starting to get pretty full.:: Hook informed them. ::I won't be able to fix them all if this continues. And there's already a line outside the door!::

::We have a joor. Two at the most.:: Megatron said. ::Is there any other way to charge the gun?::

::Theoretically, we could charge it with any energy source. Plasma, solar, wind-::

::Those would take too long! We need a- ARGH! _skzzzzstz_ ::

::SCYTHE!::

**x** **x x x x**

Bumblebee heard the whole conversation take place as he watched Shockwave, Dagger, and the twins from a vent in the wall. He hoped that Scythe was alright. She was like a carrier to him. He hoped Megatron stayed safety too. He was like a sire to him. They were all his family. From his new family on Kaon to Orion and Jazz to his original family in Praxus.

Speaking of his original family, he remembered his carrier and his grandcreators. He even remembered the orn the red demon took them from him. But he didn't remember his sire. He knew he had one. His presence filled his spark no matter where he went. But he had no memory of him other than a brilliant light.

Origins aside, he desperately wanted to help the others but he didn't know how. He was just a sparkling. If the adults couldn't figure it out in time, what could he do?

_You can do much, child._

Bee's optics widened in surprise. "Who's there?" he whispered.

_Someone who cares very deeply for you._

"Can you help me?"

_You wish to help your friends, don't you?_

"Yeah, but I don't know how. I'm just a sparkling."

_Do not limit yourself, child. You can do anything you set your mind to._

"Even charge a big gun so we can trick the bad bots?" Bee asked the voice.

_Anything, child._

Bumblebee closed his optics. When he opened them again, his processor was set. He carefully climbed down and walked towards the gun.

"Bee? What are you doing here?" Sideswipe asked.

The sparkling ignored him as he stepped up to the gun. He touched the nearest part and closed his optics, concentrating on the one thing he wanted most.

'Charge the gun!'

The others mechs, minus Shockwave, gasped and were torn on whether to step back or forward. Blue sparks danced across Bee's frame and slowly moved over to the gun.

:: What's going on over there? Whatever you're doing, the gun's charging up at a high rate!:: Soundwave informed them.

::Bumblebee's here.:: Sunstreaker said.

::So that's where he went! He never did come back from the barracks.:: Ravage said.

::But it looks he's charging the- WOAH!::

The blue sparks brightened into dazzling arcs of white and gold. It became so bright, they had to shield their optics. The energy transferred itself into the power core and charged to XTR4 to full power. Whirring to life, the gun rose from its standby position and aimed at the enemy soldiers. With a single shot, blue paint sprayed from its muzzle and, somehow, only hit the soldiers.

Horrified, the mechs screamed and ran in circles, making them easy targets for the citizens of Kaon. By the time the soldiers had realized the trick, it was too late. Most of them were already dead or dying. The incoming backup had turned around and fled in fear, their general among them.

"You'll pay for this, Decepticons!" Gauntlet yelled as he rode in one of the shuttlecrafts. "You will rue the orn you crossed the will of Sentinel Prime!"

"I rue the orn he was created," Megatron muttered under his breath. "Decepticons! We remain victorious!" The gladiators cheered and chest-bumped each other in joy. As they headed back to the city to celebrate, one mech frantically searched for the love of his life among the dead frames

**x** **x x x x**

"We did it!" Dagger cheered. The black mech and the twins yelled and whooped for joy. Their home was safe.

"Come on, Shockwave. Even you have to say it's a job well done."

"At what cost?" he asked, holding up Bumblebee's pale form.

"No!" Sideswipe said.

::Hook, we've got a casualty!::


	26. Peace

::Hook, we've got a casualty!:: Megatron said as he carried Scythe's pale form back to Kaon, trying to stem the energon flow from her chassis with one servo.

::I've got too many! I'm gonna need someone to-::

::Hook, we've got a casualty!:: they heard Sunstreaker yell into the comms.

::I've been hearing that all orn! I'm gonna need someone to help me fix everyone if this keeps up!::

::The fight's over, we won.:: Megatron said

::We won? Good! Now get over here so you can help me fix these idiots up!::

::Well, we've got one more for you.:: Dagger said as they burst through the doors to the arena complex.

::Make that two.:: Megatron said as he pushed his way through a different entrance.

::Tell me who you're bringing to me already!:: Hook said, waving for the next mech to come in.

::No need. We're coming in right now.::

::I don't have enough room for you all! I've got a line with over 50 idiots in it. Join them!::

"Those idiots are conscious. Bee's unconscious," Dagger said as he and the others burst into the room.

Megatron flew in from behind them. "So is Scythe."

The silence spoke louder than words.

"WHAT?!"

**x x x x x**

Nine joors later found Megatron, Dagger, Shockwave, and the twins deep in recharge, sprawled across any flat surface. A chair, a spare berth, a table, and the floor were all suitable for their sleepy purposes.

Hook was ambling across the medbay to check on the last two patients inside. Scythe, despite the energon pouring out of her like a fountain, was easy to patch up. Cut off the energon flow, clean the area, weld it closed, wrap it in gauze and tape, and unclamp the lines to let the energon flow again. It was slightly dangerous if he took to long, but he was an expert in this process. It took a little longer because of the amount of damage, but he had the femme stabilized in about a joor and she was now recharging on a medberth.

Bee, on the other servo, was harder to treat. No broken struts, no internal injuries, no external wounds, nothing that he could truly fix. The sparkling had a weak, overtaxed spark and had nearly dried out his energon reserves, but he could do nothing but hook him up to an energon line and hope for the best. Even now his sparkbeat was faint, his colors pale, struggling to find the power to even breathe.

Hook stroked the small helm absentmindedly. Whatever the story was behind this, he would get it next orn. For now, a well deserved recharge was in order.

**x x x x x**

"M-M-Me-g-ggy?"

The sound of Bumblebee's voice snapped Megatron out of recharge. The gladiator rolled over in surprise to find that he was on the floor. He jumped up and rushed over to Bee's berthside.

"Bumblebee? Are you okay? How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

" 'M 'kay, Meggy. 'M cold," Bumblebee mumbled between miniscule shivers.

Megatron frantically turned around in circles looking for a thermal blanket, any sort of blanket, but saw none. Going for plan B -- Megatron's personal favorite -- he curled up next to the sparkling, careful not to jostle him or disconnect any monitors. Bee snuggled into his caretaker's chassis to soak in that wonderful warmth and listen to the steady rhythm of his spark.

Soon enough, he had fallen into recharge, Megatron joining him in blissful peace moments later.


	27. Date Night Part 1

Three long megacycles had come and gone. Megatron had finally gotten a new alt mode: a B-127 fighter jet. The local seeker gladiators had helped him figure out the ups and downs of his new flight mode. The ups involving too many loop-de-loops. Too many. The downs involving multiple crash landings that almost made the dizzying loop-de-loops fun. Almost. He'd take a broken arm over his churning tanks any orn.

Bumblebee had finally been deemed healthy enough to leave the medbay after he managed to make a light-up "OPEN" sign for Hook with spare parts that could only have come from the room on the other side of the arena complex. They knew no one had been in that particular room for decavorns and had immediately checked Bumblebee over for any mental trauma. Luckily, Bee didn't seem to have noticed anything disturbing in there.

Scythe had left two megacycles earlier. She spent her time telling stories to the little sparkling and gaining her upper frame strength back in the training room. Although the new recruits -- new idiots, to be accurate -- scoffed at the femme for wanting to spar with them, they were all shivering in fear after she chucked two of them at the wall at the same time. The scythes embedded over their throats, just barely touching their neck cables, made the message clear. Four joors later they were all drooling at the sight of Scythe drenched in coolant, rivulets of the liquid flowing down her sleek, curvy frame.

Megatron, upon seeing the femme in this state, pulled her close to him and whispered how beautiful she looked. Scythe giggled a little and said that he could do some more looking if he took her on a date.

So now, Megatron was putting the finishing touches on his armor for his critic to judge. "Well, how do I look?" He spun in a circle to display his freshly waxed and polished armor. The gladiator's paint was now a gleaming silver instead of a scuffed gray. His critic tilted his helm to one side, then the other, and smiled.

"You look like a new mech, Meggy!" Bumblebee exclaimed happily. "Now go get that femme!"

"You mean me?"

They turned to see Scythe standing in the doorway. Megatron swore he felt his core temperature rise a degree or ten at the sight of her. She must have had her paint touched up too. Her blue and tan armor had that new frame look to it. She even smelled beautiful; like copper roses, maybe.

"You look stunning, dear," Megatron said as he stepped up to her.

"Likewise. Now, where are you taking me for our date?" she asked.

"Oh. Ah..."

"Spit it out, Megsy."

"Alpha Trion was eager to meet Bumblebee after Orion told him about him. So, I figured we'd drop off Bumblebee at the Hall of Records, make a wish or two at the Energon Fountains, watch the sunset on the shore of Lake Ole-mm!" Scythe cut him off by tugging him down for a kiss. Bumblebee silently mimed gagging into his servo and wiping his glossa.

"That sounds so romantic. But what happens after night?" She walked her digits up her courter's arm to boop his helm.

"Oh, Alpha Trion won't mind watching Bee for the night. What we do is up to you, my dear."

"I'm your dear now?"

"It's up to you."

"Okay, my dear Megsy. Let's get Bee and hit the road." She turned to the sparkling still sitting on the berth. "You ready sweetie?"

"Can I wash my optics first? You two need to get a room."

"Of cou- Where did you learn that phrase?" Scythe knew that knowing that sentence meant knowing what would happen in said room.

"Dagger is always giggling about it to Soundwave."

"I will strangle that mech," she muttered under her breath. To Bee, she said, "Anyway, let's go, Sweet Bee."

**x x x x x**

This orn was the first time they saw the Hall of Records. From the outside, the building looked like history itself with its conical design seeming to reach for the stars. Its architecture was clearly from the true Golden Age, a time when Cybertron reached to the stars and planted their seed in the form of multiple colonies including Velocitron, Aquatron, the Hub, and many more. The inside was just as elegant without being gaudy. Gold and silver slowly wrapped around each other in arches and support columns. The metallic white walls were trimmed with blue, a clean and calming color scheme to say the least.

As they walked up to the reception desk, the pink and white femme sitting there looked up from her datapad and smiled. "Alpha Trion has been expecting you. I'll have someone walk you there. Orion!"

The red and blue mech awkwardly shuffled over to them. Something was definitely up. "Yes?"

"Take these three to Alpha Trion please. And maybe when our shifts are over you can take me somewhere?"

"Uh. Um. Uh. Ah. Um. Uhhhhhh."

Scythe leaned over the desk and whispered to her, "Go get that mech, femme friend!"

"I wish he'd come and get me." The pink femme flashed a dazzling smile at Orion. The flustered data clerk blushed madly and nearly shoved Megatron, Scythe, and Bumblebee toward the head archivist's office.

"Just take the elevator to the ninth floor, exit right, first left, second left, fifth door on the right. I must return to my station. I have lots of work to do," Orion told them, periodically looking over his shoulder at the receptionist.

"Your shift ends in six kliks, correct?" Megatron asked.

"It does."

"You like her, don't you?"

"Maybe." The gladiator gave him a knowing look. "Yes."

"Then court her, you fool!" Scythe exclaimed, punching his arm in good spirit.

Orion clutched his arm and said, "But I'm just a data clerk!"

"Last I checked, librarians like you are higher than receptionists. Your caste is no excuse," Megatron said.

"I don't know how!"

"Then read a datapad, librarian! There are plenty here." Megatron gestured to a window showing the massive expanse of datapads lining the walls.

"I... I..." Orion was about to say something when they reached a door decorated with golden renditions of the Thirteen Primes. He lifted Bee into his arms and rambled, "We're here! Well, enjoy your date. Bumblebee will certainly enjoy his visit. He'll be perfectly safe. You can leave him overnight if you get busy. Okay. Bye! Have a good time!" Megatron and Scythe stood, stunned, as the door shut in their faces, Orion and Bee on the other side.

"He'll be alright," Scythe said, placing her servo on his arm.

"I suppose so," Megatron agreed. "Now, start thinking about your wish."

**x x x x x**

Alpha Trion could hear Orion's spark pounding in its chamber from where he was sitting. He may have been an old mech, but his audio receptors still functioned like new. "Orion, is it about the femme you like?"

"No, sir! I just came to drop off Bumblebee before I went back to work. That's all," the mech fiddled with his digits behind his back.

Alpha Trion tutted and smiled. "Your shifts end in less than a klik."

"I can do a lot in that time."

"Yeah, like run away," Bee piped up from Orion's arms.

The aged mech chuckled and reached for the sparkling. Orion gently handed him to him. Bee snuggled into his beard and purred contentedly. " For Primus' sake, Orion, court the poor femme already. If you're not ready to take her out, at least give her a gift. I'm sure she'd love those homemade crystamallows of yours."

Orion sighed and nodded. "Thank you, sir. I suppose I needed a second opinion."

"I'll give you a third one. She seems nice, so you should go with her," Bee called from the elder's lap.

Orion smiled and left the office. Alpha Trion looked at the sparkling in his lap and said, "Well, how would you like to do a puzzle?" Bee shot up, the elder's beard of wires tangling over his helm. He said one word, and one word only.

"Yes!"

**x x x x x**

Megatron and Scythe walked servo and servo between the sparkling energon fountains in the plaza. Street vendors selling plushies and flowers dotted the perimeter. Finely detailed metal carvings decorated the fountains that sprayed energon in intricate patterns.

They stopped in front the wishing well in the center. The bucket hanging from the old-fashioned pulley gently swung back and forth from the chain it was attached to. Megatron fished two coins out of his subspace pocket and handed one to Scythe. She took it with a sly smile as she held up a tube of... Oh Primus. How embarrassing.

"Always prepared are we?" Scythe asked.

Megatron gently swiped the tube from her hand, stuffing it back into his subspace hastily. "It takes a responsible mech to be a revolutionary leader."

"As one of the lucky Cybertronians who had to help raise Bumblebee, I know you are very responsible."

"Hmm. I wish we could be his real family though. To let him have someone he could call sire or carrier."

Scythe held up her coin and said, "Well, that's what these are for. Make a wish, Megsy."

Megatron stared at the coin in his servo. He rolled it between the tips of his digits and thought about the one thing he wanted more than anything. Smiling, he kissed the coin and flipped it into the well. 'I wish I could be the mech Bee called Sire.'

Barely a moment after him, Scythe kissed her coin and flipped it into the well. She could barely hear the small splash it made as it hit the pool of energon below. The wish she made filled her spark with hope and longing. 'I wish I could be the femme Bee called Carrier.'

However, they both made a second wish that was almost exactly the same:

'I wish I could be the one he/she called his/her sparkmate.'


	28. Date Night Part 2

The tip of Bumblebee's glossa stuck out of the corner of his mouth as he considered the puzzle piece in his servo against the incomplete picture in front of him. He had never played with a tangible puzzle before. All the ones he had were digital, downloaded onto his datapad. The fact that Alpha Trion had a puzzle he could actually touch and feel made him so old he was cool!

Alpha Trion turned to the sparkling on the floor and sighed. It had been so long since he had seen a real sparkling. Most Cybertronians these orns didn't want to go through the work it took to have to raise one. They rather choose a Well-born mech or femme. Only Cybertron's older generations knew the benefits.

"Finished!" Bee chirped from his spot on the carpet. He beamed up at the elder, his optics shining with a desire for approval.

Alpha Trion smiled at the sparkling. "Already? That's your third puzzle in five joors."

"Shockwave's been teaching me lots of smart things. I made a light-up sign just a few orns ago."

"Really? You must be very smart for a sparkling," Alpha Trion said. He wasn't kidding either. Back in the orn, most Cybertronian young couldn't figure out how to wire a circuit until they were almost adults.

"I even remember my carrier," Bee said. His doorwings fell as he said this. "But I don't know who my sire is, though. Maybe he left my carrier. Maybe he died. I just don't know." His wings suddenly shot back up again. "You're old and wise. Do you know who my sire was?"

Alpha Trion's optics misted over and his expression grew wistful as he replied, "I once knew him in my youth. He is a bit more... mysterious these orns."

Bumblebee climbed into the elder's lap. "Can you tell me about him?"

"Oh, there's not much to say. He is far, far away from here, yet always close by. He is always willing to help those who help others. He is kind, benevolent, wise, just wonderful in general."

"Ooh! Now I really want to meet him."

"Just look into your spark, child. Listen to it and believe."

'Odd choice of words,' Bee thought, but he did as the nice old mech said. He closed his optics and focused on his spark, the rest of the world seeming to melt away from his sensory network. He let the steady thumping of his spark full his audials and imagined the bright orb of energy in his processor.

And then he believed. He didn't know exactly what to believe in, so he believed in everything. He believed that Meggy and Scythe would bond and be his adopted creators. He believed that the low caste mechs and femmes would finally be free from the tyranny of the High Council one orn. He believed that Meggy and Oreo would spearhead that movement to the end. He believed in Primus, in Unicron, and in the Thirteen Primes triumphing over Unicron. He simply believed in goodness.

That's when it started.

Flashes of light, just tiny snippets of blue and gold, sparked to life in his processor. He could imagine them racing each other around his spark, giggling all the way. He focused on the sparks. One seemed to latch on to him and he saw a memory of -before-.

White light. Warmth. The feeling of a sire's unending love. A calm, deep voice handling his spark with such care.

Then darkness. More warmth. The feeling of a carrier's gentle yet fierce love. A soft, light voice cooing to him through the soft walls of his home next to her spark.

Wait, the first voice was familiar. It was the same one that spoke to him three megacycles ago.

His optics opened and the world came back into to focus, loud and bright. Alpha Trion was cradling him to his chassis and looking at him with concern.

"Are you alright, child? You were asleep for over three joors."

"My sire spoke to me to help me charge the city gun. He's still alive!" Bee exclaimed.

"He is alive in all of us. We just have to believe."

Bumblebee beamed at the elder. "I wonder why I have the other tingly though. The red demon isn't related to me, but I can sorta feel him."

Alpha Trion almost snorted at what Bee referred to Sentinel as. Instead, he carefully reached for a cube of energon "Well, I may not be able to answer that question for you right now, but I do have some tasty fortified low grade you might like."

"Yummy!"

**x** **x x x x**

The couple enjoyed their mid-orn energon together at Maccadam's. A passing comment about Megatron's impotence almost made him choke on his energon as Scythe erupted into laughter with Maccadam.

Later, they went to Lake Oleum to have a little fun in the surf. They ended up having an oil fight halfway through soaking in the cool liquid until they were both dripping all the way down to their protoforms. Afterward, they relaxed on the beach, their vents fully opened to try and dry their protoforms naturally.

Scythe leaned against her courter a little more and whispered, "This orn was the best orn I've ever had."

"Really? How so?" Megatron asked.

"Because I got to spend it with you. Just you."

"I agree, dear. This orn was excellent."

"That has got to be your new top said praise."

"What? Excellent?"

"Yeah. Mine's wonderful."

"That's because you are wonderful," Megatron purred.

Scythe flipped over to lie on him and replied, "And you are excellent. Of course, it'd be nice to have some hard proof."

Megatron had to keep his engine from roaring too loudly as he gently pulled Scythe down for a kiss. He made sure to save this memory in his core for later as it was sure to be the best orn of his life. The vibrant colors of the sunset painted golds and crimsons on Scythe's frame, making her look even more beautiful. She tasted so sweet, almost like energon pops. He could imagine what else she had that would taste sweet.

"Mmm," Scythe moaned, slowly pushing herself up. "Let's go somewhere I little more private, hmm?" Her hips barely swayed as she walked away, but Megatron knew that swing was for him. "I can show you some of the good stuff I learned in the clubs."

Megatron's cooling fans nearly clicked on as he followed the femme-of-his-dreams to a nearby hotel.

Things were about to get hot.

**x** **x x x x**

Alpha Trion chuckled as he powered off the monitor showing Megatron and Scythe. He turned to the sparkling on the floor. Bumblebee was happily playing pretend with a stuffed toy Alpha Trion received from a youngling when he was still new to the world. Bee hugged the soft plush close to him and yawned, his cerulean optics dimming and his doorwings drooping with a cute flick.

"It seems as if a certain sparkling is ready to recharge," the elder said.

"I'm not tired," Bee yawned again. "I wouldn't mind a short rest though. Maybe close my... optics."

Alpha Trion smiled and picked up the sparkling. He cradled him close to his chest as he entered a string of numbers and letters into a secret panel on the wall. The wall nearly folded itself back to let him into the hidden berthroom adjacent to his office. He never did like leaving the Hall of Records.

He gently settled into his berth with Bumblebee. Bee chittered quietly as he turned to bury his helm in the elder's beard. Alpha Trion chuckled as he drifted off into recharge with the youngling.

While they would be turning in early, the courting couple would be having a very long night.


	29. AllSpark Day

"Good morning, sleepy helm. How was last night?" a feminine voice giggled next to him.

Megatron groaned as he pulled Scythe in for a wake up kiss. "It was wonderful, dear."

"Hey! That's my line!' she said with fake annoyance.

"Oh, what time is it?"

"Well, if we were back home, we'd have missed our morning energon."

"I'm not hungry anyway. I had a lot to eat last night," he purred into her audials.

Scythe revved her engine to dispel the sudden heat in her systems and rolled off of the berth. As she placed her armor back on, she said, "Well, we ought to get going. Bumblebee must miss us a lot."

Motivated by the though of his ward, Megatron joined his lover in cleaning up and they left the hotel for the Hall of Records. They noted the decorations hanging from the street lights and wondered what was going on.

Before they could wonder any longer, they had already stepped into the Hall and were making their way towards Alpha Trion's office. Ninth floor, exit right, first left, second left, fifth door on the right, and they were there. Scythe lightly rapped on the door. It only took a few moments for it to open.

"Is Bumblebee alright?" Scythe asked before Alpha Trion could say anything.

Alpha Trion smiled and held Bumblebee out to them. "He's the smartest and most well-behaved sparkling I've ever had the pleasure of watching," the elder said.

"Well, thank you for watching him for us," Scythe said.

"Meggy! Scythe! Alpha Trion has real puzzles! They're so much fun!" Bee exclaimed as the couple said their goodbyes.

As they traveled through the growing crowd, Bee's topic switched from "Alpha Trion's cool beard" to the "sparkly dangly thingies" hanging from the street lights to the "fuzzy plushies" being sold from the stands lining the streets. Since he still had some credits left, Megatron bought him a purple petro-rabbit toy. Bee squealed in delight and hugged it tightly to his chassis while snuggling into his caretaker some more.

As they passed the Energon Fountains, they saw a familiar face walking by with a certain femme hanging to his arm.

"Orion!" Megatron called him. "I see you've joined the the courting group."

The data clerk just smiled sheepishly as he walked over with his femme. "I didn't know you'd still be here. This is Ariel. Ariel-"

"I know. Megatron, the gladiator turned revolutionary from Kaon. I watch your species over the air sometimes," the pink femme said, holding out her servo.

Megatron shook it and said, "Pleasure to meet you. I guess the librarian finally had the ball-bearings to ask you out." Bee and the femmes giggled at this while Orion blushed further.

Megatron felt a light tug on his shoulder. He looked down at Bee. "Can I look at the pretty fountains? I want to take pictures to show everyone back home."

"Okay, Bumblebee. Just keep an optic out for any trouble and holler if you need us," Megatron said, lowering the excited sparkling to the ground. Purple petro-rabbit dangling out of his supspace pocket, Bee raced off to find the best fountains. "And secure your subspace items!" he called after him.

"If you're not busy with Orion we can leave the mechs to be mechs while we femmes discuss the real happenings," Scythe said to Ariel.

"You have to tell me what you two did. I need to know how to be good to my Orion," she replied, smiling at said mech. The red and blue mech smiled. It turned into a dating smirk when he took Ariel's servo in his own and leaned to kiss it, causing her to blush madly.

"Have a good talk, Ariel. I mean... er..."

Ariel giggled and pecked his cheek. "Don't worry. I live long enough to try all your cooking," she said, waving to him as she walked off with Scythe.

"You've got a good one, librarian," Megatron told him.

Orion sighed. "I just hope I can be good enough for her."

"The struggle of our life cycles."

"So, how goes the revolution? I hear the rogue attacks are bringing down your popularity."

**x x x x x**

Bumblebee squinted through his digits as he tried to look for the right angle to take a picture. He tilted his head and servos until he found the position he liked. Mimicking it with his datapad, he snapped a few photos to sort through on the shuttle home. He jumped from fountain rim to fountain rim as he traversed the crowded plaza. He nearly over balanced on the rim of the energon well in the center, but held onto the support beam holding up the roof.

"Be careful!" Megatron hollered over the din of the crowd.

"I know, Meggy. Ravage taught me all his balancing tricks. I'll be okay!" Bee yelled back. Megatron nodded before asking Orion about speaking to the High Council.

Bee got on his knees and servos to carefully peek over the rim of the wishing well. The engraved plaque on the side said that old-fashioned energon wells like this one were once commonplace. Now, Cybertron mined and produced the Energon they needed. They didn't have to dig through Cybertron's crust to find energon lakes or rivers.

A faint ringing sound came from his left. Bumblebee saw a shiny coin just a few meters away. There were no support beams there, but he had excellent balance. He got up and walked over to the shiny circle of metal, bending down to pick it up once he was there.

Suddenly, a chain wrapped around his throat and secured itself via the bucket attached to it. Bucket? From the well! But why would anyone-

He was pushed over the edge. Bee gasped in shock and scrabbled to hang onto the ledge. If he fell, there was no catching himself; it was longer than he was tall. And a fall from this height would kill him.

A servo slammed itself into his face to try and push him off, but Bee could still see his attacker through his digits. He may have been using electronic paint, but Bee knew. He knew it in his spark, mostly because the bad tingly was beginning to ache.

It was the red demon.

With a final shove, Bee lost his grip and began to fall. Everything seemed to move both in slow motion and faster than he could process. But when he finally had time to think, he could only think of one word.

"SIRE!!!"

**x x x x x**

"SIRE!!!"

Megatron snapped his helm around to the energon well in the center. It was Bee's voice, but why would he call for his glitched sire? And why was the pulley moving so quickly?

No.

"No!" Megatron yelled aloud. "Bumblebee!"

**x x x x x**

Bumblebee had no time to waste. He unsubspaced the knife Dagger gave him for his sparkorn and reached up to try and cut at the chain. His plan was foiled as a dilapidated stone jutting out from the walls knocked it out of his servo.

Okay, plan B. His digits fumbled.over the chain as he tried to unwrap it from his throat. If he died, he wanted his helm to be attached to his body. Unfortunately, it seemed the red demon knew some good knots. There was no way he could figure out how to untie the intricate bundle in time.

With no other options, the sparkling held onto the chain and pulled. Maybe he could pull down enough to grab on and slow his descent. Wait, that was a plan. Plan C! Woo for optimism in the face of dying! Ha...

Bumblebee yanked on the chain and managed to pull a whole meter towards him. He was gripping the chain tightly when it went taut. His arms were pulled out of their sockets and the length wrapped around his neck tightened until he couldn't feel anything. Energon circulation cut off from his head, his thoughts seemed to go in circles.

'I can't feel anything. Where is my body? I can't move. Help me. I can feel anything. I can't move. I can't talk. Help me. Where is my body? Am I dead? Help me.

'Help me.

'Help me!

  
'HELP ME!'


	30. Hanging in the Balance

Megaton ignored the indignant cries of everyone he shoved out of his way in his mad dash to the energon well in the center of the plaza. Orion was hot on his pedes as he called the rescue squad hotline. Megaton lunged for the falling length of chain to try and slow Bee's descent, but the chain went taut before he could get a hold of it. Everyone made room as the gladiator roared his frustration.

He was about to jump down to carry Bee back out when Orion grabbed his arm and yelled, "Wait! A rescue squad is on its way. It should take a few breems-"

"There's no time! Bumblebee could be dying!" Megaton reached for the chain to gently pull Bee up, but Orion stopped him again. "WHAT!?"

"You could aggravate his injuries. Create further damage whatever body part the chain is tied to. I have an aerial view of the squad's progress; they'll be here before you know it."

"And if he dies, I will murder the piece of slag that thought he could take my sparkling from me," Megatron's optics burned a furious shade of red before returning to their normal color.

Scythe and Ariel raced up to them. "What's going on? Where's Bumblebee?" Scythe asked.

Ariel pointed and asked, "Why is the bucket down there?"

"Bumblebee?" Scythe connected the dots quickly. A moment later, she snapped out of her shock. "Bee!" She too would've jumped in the well if Ariel hadn't held her back.

The sound of sirens grew louder until the crowd parted to let a group of rescue vehicles through. They transformed and a red mech, the same one, Megatron realized, that helped them after the station explosion, came up to them and said, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"My sparkling was pushed into that well. Someone tried to hang him!" Scythe nearly yelled. Lubricant welled in her optics and threatened to spill. One drop finally did.

The mech, Heatwave, calmed her. "Don't worry, ma'am, we'll get him out. I need all of you to stand back. We need room to work. Chase, call for back up. As of right now, this is attempted murder. Blades, call for paramedics and prepare first aid just in case. Boulder, ready your winch. We need to send someone down there to extract him." To the crowd, he bellowed, "Okay, we need a volunteer from the crowd. He or she must be lightweight and small."

"How about one of us?" a pair of feminine voices said simultaneously. They belonged to Sola and Luna, famed talk show hosts.

"Are you sure? It might be dangerous," Heatwave warned them.

"I don't care if the Chaosbringer himself wanted to help. Just get my son out of there!" Megatron yelled. He was struggling to hold in his tears, but his optics were still wet.

"Your son?" Sola asked, her optics widening at the possible piece of gossip.

"NOW!" he roared.

The femmes took a step back when Megatron's optics flickered between red and blue. "I'll go," Luna offered. "I guess being a minibot has its perks. What do I need to do?"

**x**

Luna was carefully lowered into the deep energon well via the rope and winch Boulder was using. Cutting on the lights from her compact alt mode, she followed the chain until she could see a small dot of yellow slowly growing in size.

"I see him!" she called up to the others.

"How far is he?" Heatwave yelled down.

"A few more astrometers maybe," she said. "He's not moving other than the chain swinging a little."

"Oh my sparkling!" she heard Megatron cry out in anguish.

"Don't worry, Megsy. Your sparkling will be just fine," Luna called to him.

"Don't call me that! Just silence your vocalizer and bring me my son!"

"Of course! Whatever you say, my liege," she muttered under her breath.

When Luna was finally level with the sparkling, her spark wanted to cry in pain for him. The first thing she noticed was the pure terror etched across his face. His oddly shaped optics blazed white and were wide in shock. His intake was wide open, clearly attempting to draw in air but failing because his vent system was cut off. His arms dangled at odd angles because of his dislocated shoulders. His drooping doorwings twitched sporadically and she gasped in horror at the gray creeping up his legs from the lack of neural activity.

**x**

Bumblebee's optics and audials were the only sensory receptors that weren't cut off from his neural net. However, he was too dazed to recognize anything he heard. He couldn't hear much anyway, what with his energon flow being cut off from his helm.

A pebble fell on his shoulder, but he couldn't feel it. "Don't... sweet... help... come... hold... darling..."

'What...?' was all Bee could think before a bright blur appeared next to him. It was a creamy white with silver and pale blue swirls, though it all looked swirled together to him.

"Can... hear me... sweet...?" the voice said again. It was a she. Bee tried to blink to show her he recognized her presence. However, all he could manage was a lazy flicker of his opticlids.

The blur didn't seem to mind as she gently lifted him close to her, finally taking the pressure off of his neck. Air rushed through his intake and vents to cool his stressed systems. Energon rushed into his helm, causing his optics to blaze brightly before dimming back down. Now that his neural net had access to the rest of his body, he could feel the femme cradling him to her chassis and the small but fierce spark beating against it. There was another feeling in his lower body and arms that he couldn't tell what it was, but he didn't care.

He didn't care about the voice babbling into his audials either. All he could think about was air and how he never wanted to be without it, even if Cybertronians technically didn't need to breathe.

He finally felt at peace since nearly being killed... again. Meggy and Scythe and Oreo and the nice femme were waiting for him up above. There was a nice spark next to his audials, lulling him into recharge...

But he couldn't recharge. His helm was hurting something fierce and the dull throbbing in his lower body and arms began to increase. It went from dull to achy to sharp in mere moments. He squirmed in pain, but something in his lower neck protested. He squirmed even more to get rid of it, but it only made the pain worse. And not squirming made the pain build too. The frustration of not knowing how to get rid of the pain was too much for his processor at the moment. He screamed...

But nothing came out.

**x**

It took three mechs to hold Megatron back from rushing toward his son. Once Luna emerged from the well with Bumblebee limp in her arms, his optics gray and glazed over, Sola directed her towards Blades so he could receive basic medical attention until a medic showed up.

He took out a scanner and passed the beam over him as he said, "He's in shock. Lay him down and elevate his legs." The scanner beeped when it finished. "Signs of an anoxic processor injury. Swelling of the neck. Both shoulders dislocated. Bumblebee, I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm going to shove your arms back into place, okay? It will hurt, so I need you to be brave for me."

"S- _skzzt_ -ire- _skzzt_ ," Bee's voice crackled.

Megatron broke free and carefully kneeled at his sparkling's helm. "Shh. It's okay, sweetspark. Sire's here. Shh. It's okay."

"Can you keep comforting him, sir?" Blades asked him, his excitement at being surrounded by celebrities dampened by the seriousness of Bee's injuries. Megatron nodded and gently stroked Bee's helm as Blades carefully aligned his socket and joint before shoving it into place. Loud static was the only thing that came out of Bee's vocalizer. It tapered off as Bee finally fell unconscious.

"Damaged vocalizer," he noted while shoving Bee's other shoulder into place. He then positioned each arm and fashioned a brace from the sturdy yet flexible metal in his kit for them. "He also has a cervical fracture. I'm going to try and stabilize it. Okay?"

Megatron nodded his consent. Bee was still unconscious as the orange mech carefully molded the metal to keep Bee from moving his neck too much until a medic came.

Speaking of which, the sound of sirens increased again until both police and medics entered the scene, Jazz and Ratchet among them. Jazz went over to speak with the others while the medics crowded around Blades, Megatron, and Bumblebee, Ratchet being the closest.

"What's his status?" Ratchet asked Blades.

"Shock, anoxic processor injury, dislocated shoulders, cervical fracture," Blades rattled off.

"Hospital. Stat," Ratchet ordered. The other medics just gaped at the sight of Megatron cooing to the sparkling. "ARE YOU PAID TO STARE AT CELEBRITIES?! GET THIS SPARKLING TO THE HOSPITAL! NOW!"

Several of the medics bumped into each other and fell over in their haste. "Rookies," Ratchet muttered. He transformed into his alt mode and unlocked his patient transport subspace. "Place him on the gel, Blades. He'll be safe until we get to the hospital. I just need someone to ride and monitor him while I drive. And I'm afraid you're too big, Megatron."

"I'll go," Sola said. "Luna did her part, I'll do mine."

"I don't think I can ever thank you enough," Megatron said as Sola carefully climbed into Ratchet. Before she could respond, the ambulance locked the subspace and sped off.

"It's our pleasure," Luna said. "Besides, all sparklings are precious. He's simply too cute to die!"

"How can we repay you," Scythe said after she was finished being questioned momentarily.

"Don't worry about it." A seemingly innocent smile graced Luna's face. "But maybe you could guest star on the show? Everyone will want to know how a sparkling survived a 100-meter drop with a chain tied around his throat. And we need the deets on you two! Maybe a few reasons behind your revolutionary ideas."

"We'll want to wait until after Bee recovers," Scythe said. "But just give us a time and date and we'll be there."

"Awesome! I hope your son gets better soon! And not for the show. It really hurt to see him like that."

"Megatron, da chief wants ta hear yer side of da story," Jazz called him.

"From both of us, it was a pleasure meeting you, given the circumstances. TTYL!" Luna said before racing off to catch up with her co-host.

Megatron sighed. This orn was hectic and there was still more to come. For now, he would go with the flow.

But later, he would maul the fragger who thought he could hurt Bumblebee. And he had a pretty good idea of where to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Here's what the medical stuff means.
> 
> Anoxic brain (processor) injury: occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen. Immediate symptoms include confusion, loss of consciousness, feeling woozy or dizzy, vomiting, changes in behavior or sensation: arms or legs may feel tingly or numb, and/or intense headache. From this list, I gave Bee a bit of confusion and loss of consciousness from the headaches. If it's not right, I'm sorry. Long term symptoms include changes in personality or behavior, difficulty with previously unchallenging tasks, changes in relationships, difficulty with short or long term memory, trouble recognizing familiar people or animals, new fears or phobias, psychological symptoms such as unexplained depression or anxiety, frequent headaches, and unexplained pain in the limbs. I won't use everything, but I will use some. Not saying which though.
> 
> Cervical Fracture: AKA broken neck; a break in one or more of the seven cervical bones (the seven vertebrae that make up the spine in the neck). Symptoms include severe pain, swelling and possible bruising, tenderness, decreased feeling in the arms or legs, and muscle weakness or paralysis of the arms or legs. I gave Bee severe neck pain and swelling. Treatment includes neck brace or collar to keep the neck in line while it heals (8 weeks), traction to treat more severe fractures (12 weeks), and surgery to attach plates or screws or wires to attach bones. I'm still deciding on the first and second plans of treatment. I need to do more research on those.
> 
> * By this point, the whole thing's already written on FF.net and Wattpad, I just need to get it on here.


	31. My Meggy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should tell you know that I just copy and pasted the rest of these chapters from Wattpad. If anything looks odd, I'm sorry.

::For the first time in centivorns, the Energon Fountains couldn't be a part of AllSpark Day celebrations.::

_Click_

::It's been nearly two megacycles since the 'AllSpark Day Hanging,' as it has been named.::

_Click_

::Sources say that a sparkling was the victim of attempted murder. A mysterious mech pushed the small child into the central energon well with the chain wrapped around his throat. It's a miracle the sparkling survived.::

_Click_

::The sparkling is currently recovering at Iacon Central Hospital with his loved ones. We currently don't have permission to release the injuries he received since we have not been able to contact the sparkling's primary caregivers.::

_Click_

::Is it true that you helped saved the AllSpark Day sparkling, Luna?::

::Well, it's not like I could let a cute little thing like him join the AllSpark yet!::

::And we do have word from his caretakers that once he recovers enough, they will contact us for when they should appear on air.::

::Right on, Sola! I hope that little cutie is okay. Whoever stooped so low as to try and kill a sparkling should be punished.::

::Sent to the madhouse!::

::Should be put to death! That's the same sparkling from the IGC explosion.::

_Click_

:: I'm here with Iacon Chief of Police Prowl. Chief, what your comments on the AllSpark Day Hanging?::

::There is no denying that this was attempted murder.::

::Does the IPD have any clues as to who the perpetrator is?::

::So far, no one has been able to identify or describe a suspect. However, we haven't gotten permission to question the victim yet. He may be able to provide us with some intel.::

:: It's an atrocious thing to want to kill a sparkling. Why might someone do it?::

_Click_

::Why?::

_Click_

::Why?::

_Click_

::Why?::

_Click_

::Why would someone try to kill a sparkling? Is this connected to the IGC explosion or the attack on Kaon? Who could possibly be behind this? Seriously, why would anyone want to kill a sparkling? They're so precious these orns!::

_Click_

'Isn't that the million credit question,' Megatron thought as he shut off the holoscreen. Once again, he was back in the hospital with Bumblebee. This time, he wasn't the one confined to a medberth. However, he'd trade places with Bee in a sparkbeat.

The poor sparkling had to be put in stasis for over a megacycle to keep him from squirming too much and exacerbating his injuries. When the medics pulled him out of it, he was inconsolable. He cried and cried for joors on end and nothing his caretakers did could calm him down. Bee recharged through the next two orns and woke up feeling much better afterward. Occasionally, he complained about not being able to move because of the neck and shoulder braces, but he enjoyed the activities the others entertained him with.

One orn, Ratchet came in with good news. "Well, we can finally take the braces off. I still don't want you off of this berth yet, but other than that, you're recovering just fine."

"Did you hear that, Meggy? I can move now!" Bee exclaimed.

"We heard, Bumblebee," Megatron said from the chair next to Bee's berth. To Ratchet, he asked, "Is there anything else we should be worried about, doctor?"

"Hanging from a well that deep should've snapped his helm right off." Megatron and Bumblebee both cringed at the mental image. "Luckily, he only came out with dislocated shoulders, a few fractured neck struts, and some mild processor trauma.

"For you, Megatron, no lifting him by his armpits or arms. You could stress the joint and accidentally tear it back out again. And keep an optic on him. Make sure he doesn't strain himself too much.

"Bumblebee, no lifting your arms above your head, no carrying heavy objects for too long, no whipping your helm around, no handstands, cartwheels, handsprings, etc.; no-"

"I get it; I get it! No doing anything with my shoulders or neck that could strain my shoulders or neck and possibly injure my shoulders or neck by accident!" Bee cut him off. "But that's easy stuff. Tell me the hard stuff. I can take it!"

Ratchet sighed. "Your energon was cut off from your processor for an unknown amount of time. Parts of your processor died from the lack of nourishment but, luckily, help arrived in time."

Megatron frowned. Was it so bad that Ratchet had to take so long to say it? "This we know. Tell us what we don't."

"He might have a personality change, he could develop new phobias, have sudden anxieties, have protoform aches, or even have trouble recognizing familiar bots because his processor wasn't getting oxygen. In this case, he could also have trouble with coordination, a weakened body, and an occasional slur.

"Keep an optic on him. Understand that some of the things he does might be because of the processor damage. I'll give you a full list to take back to Kaon. Until then, those braces will be coming off soon, and you'll be cleared to leave in a few more orns."

"Then we can go home and I can show Kitty and Birdy all the pretty fountains I took pictures of!"

Megatron chuckled at the little one's ideas. Even Ratchet quirked a smile. "Okay, sparkling. I just need you to hold really still so I can take the braces off. Afterward, you can move your arms a little more, but try to keep your neck and helm still."

"Okay, Ratch'!"

'Ratch' grumbled under his breath at the nickname he clearly picked up from Jazz. It took a few breems to ease the neck brace off, but Bee was a happy sparkling now.

After Ratchet left the room with the braces, Bee asked, "Meggy, were you scared?"

The question caught the normally alert gladiator by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"When I was hanging. Were you scared? I know I was."

Megatron scooted over and kissed Bee's forehelm. "I had never been more terrified in my life. You know what I told you. I will eviscerate the bot who thinks they can take you away from me. When I get my servos on whoever it is, they. Will. Pay."

If smiles could light up the world, all of Cybertron would've gone blind from the sheer brightness of Bee's smile. "And that's why you're my Meggy."

"And you're my little Bee," Megatron cooed. Bee's arm flailed around a little trying to locate Megatron's servo as his optics began to droop. The large mech held the smaller servo in his own.

"My sire," Bee whispered as he fell into recharge.

Megatron thought his spark would burst from happiness.


	32. That's no Hologram

Four orns later, Bumblebee was allowed to leave the hospital on the condition that their medic would send Ratchet reports on how he was doing. Bee snuggled into Megatron's chassis as Scythe checked him out of the hospital. When they left the hospital, they found Orion and Jazz waiting outside.

Orion spoke first. "How is he?"

"Still the same little bug he was before, but there are psychological symptoms we have to look for," Megatron answered.

"Well, da perpetrator shoulda known better than ta mess wit' da Champion Gladiator's sparklin'," Jazz said.

"Me'ie wi' mik 'im payer!" Bee chirped up. They smiled and tried to hide their concern at the slight slur.

"That reminds me," Scythe spoke up. "We promised Sola and Luna an appearance for their help. When should we contact them?"

"No need. We can always push back this orn's episode to next time. It was supposed to be a filler anyway." They turned to see two subcompacts heading in their direction. One was cream, silver, and pale blue; the other was cream, gold, and pale yellow. They transformed to reveal none other than Luna and Sola themselves.

"We were on our way to the studio and couldn't help but notice that your sparkling is finally better," Sola said. "Who's a cute little bitlet?"

Bumblebee, too cheerful at being outside to care about being called a bitlet, giggled and reached for the fun-looking femme.

"Hmph. Traitor," Megatron snorted. He couldn't hold his betrayed look any longer when Bee turned his huge, cerulean optics on him.

"Well, cutesy is finally better and we are totally available for an impromptu show this orn. Are y'all available?" Luna asked while giving Bee a quick tickle.

"Certainly. Just let us call home and we'll follow you to wherever you want us to go," Scythe said. The femme cohosts perked up even more.

"Awesome!"

**x x x x x**

  
A mech's voice sounded from offstage, "Ladies and gentlemechs here in studio and across the world! What time is it?"

"Sola and Luna!" The crowd said as one before dissolving into cheer. The two femmes appeared from different sides of the stage and sat down on the couches in the spotlight, waving to their adoring fans. Sola started to speak as the applause died down.

"Welcome everyone here and at home to another show!" More cheering. "Last time, we said we were just going to talk about the news. Yeah, yeah, we know. Boring."

Luna continued, "Luckily, we were able to secure a last klik surprise for you. Remember the AllSpark Day Hanging?" The crowd murmured and nodded amongst themselves. "Well, how would you like to meet the victim?" The crowd cheered in approval. "How about his revolutionary caretaker?" More cheering. "And his talk-of-the-town love interest." The din could've rivaled the noise from a gladiatorial match.

"Well then," Sola said. "First to welcome on stage is the miner nobody who got his name in the Kaonian rings and is now working for lower caste rights. The undefeated champion gladiator of Kaon and acting-sire to a little sparkling, I give you Megatron!"

Megatron walked into the spotlight with confidence, but no one noticed how much stiffer his gait was now. He sat down in one of the chairs opposite the femmes and looked over the crowd, a natural aura seeming to radiate power to those watching.

Luna moved to speak. "Speaking of sparklings, he happens to have a very cute one with a murderer after him for unknown reasons. Recently checked out of ICH, and still as happy as ever, Bumblebee!"

The audience 'awwed' and cooed as the litter yellow sparkling skipped on stage. They gasped collectively when he staggered and fell, but Bee just shook his helm and kept on skipping to Megatron. The large mech lifted him into his lap and checked him over. Bee just snuggled into him and sighed.

"And last but not least, the lucky femme who has claim over this gladiator's spark, and quite the looker I might add," Luna grinned at the reaction she got. Everyone swooned; the femmes for Megatron and the mechs for whoever the femme could be. Megatron himself just raised an optic ridge at her. Luna giggled before continuing, "Let me introduce you to Scythe!"

Scythe walked into the spotlight with the same outward confidence that Megatron projected, but she moved more naturally. Taking a seat next to Megatron, she eagerly picked up the sparkling reaching for her and let him snuggle into her as well.

Sola clasped her servos together and blurted out, "So, let's start with the beginning. How did you come across Bee? What do you think your relationship is with him? Megatron, what is your relationship with this hot femme here?! We need deets!"

Megatron and Scythe looked at each other before launching into a condensed version of their backstory. Occasionally, Scythe and Luna interrupted with 'commercial breaks' - this was all recorded for later - and dramatic gasps and comments. It was rather long, but they managed to keep it short enough to fit within half a joor. By the time they were done, everyone was speechless.

Sola spoke first, "I guess now we really know why you guys want a better life. I didn't know we could be such pricks."

"And Sentinel Prime?!" Luna exclaimed. "We make fun of him on a daily basis, but this takes the oil-cake!"

"I like rust sticks!" Bumblebee blurted out. "Hook gives me one every vorn when I'm a good bot for his checkups and I got a can of them for my sparkorn megacycles ago. I already finished them, but I did share!"

Glad for an excuse to switch the conversation to something less dramatic, Luna perked up and cooed, "Ah! You're so cute! What's your opinion on all this?"

Bee scrunched up his face in thought, much to the adoration of the audience, and said, "The red demon killed my carrier, Meggy ("Bumblebee!" he whispered. "Not now!") took me in, someone tried to blow us up, I won my first gladiyatorya match, the tingly in my spark twy ta keeyell meh fwends-," they cringed at the slur, "I played a prank on Meggy with the twins, bad mechs twied to kill Kaon, my sire helped me charge the gun to spray them with paint, Meggy went on a date with Scythe, the red demon pushed me into the well, nice white and blue femme saved me, I had to be in stasis, and now I'm here!"

"Wait, Sentinel pushed you in the well?" Megatron asked.

"Uhh, who that?"

"It's, 'who IS that', darling," Scythe corrected him.

Luna fished a datapad out of her subspace. "Here. We'll pull up a picture." She typed something into it and a hologram of Sentinel Prime started walking towards them.

"That's him! That's him! He killed my carrier! He tried to kill me! He tried to kill my family!" Bumblebee cried. He leaped back into Megatron's arms to hide. "Meggy! Help!"

"It's just a hologram. See? Nothing to worry about," Megatron tried to comfort him.

"Megatron of Kaon, by my authority as Prime and leader of Cybertron, you are hereby under arrest!" the 'hologram' said.

"That's no hologram," Sola said worryingly as almost the whole Elite Guard followed their Prime on stage.


	33. Arrested

_Previously on Little Gladiator:_

_"Megatron of Kaon, by my authority as Prime and leader of Cybertron, you are hereby under arrest!" the 'hologram' said._

_"That's no hologram," Sola said worryingly as almost the whole Elite Guard followed their Prime on stage._

**x** **x x x x**

Shocked into silence, everyone watched as Sentinel stormed on stage with the Elite Guard just a few steps behind him. The regal, red Prime stopped just a few meters away from them as they stood to meet him.

  
"On what grounds?" Megatron asked, moving to stand in front of the others.

"It is clear that you are the mastermind behind the synchronized terrorist attacks on Six Lasers Over Cybertron, Uraya, Polyhex, Stanix, Blaster City, and multiple sites in the Sonic Canyons, resulting in numerous casualties. You were the aggressor in the Battle of Kaon. You have kidnapped this sparkling and didn't even provide an adequate home for it. A better caretaker would've kept him safe from all these attacks."

"LIAR!" Bumblebee yelled, his hands shaking from the stress. "Those attacks were co-wor-donation by someone else. The Cybertronian army charged first and I wasn't kidnapped! Meggy gives me the best life I could eva dweam of given the cir-coom-stan-des. YOU hurt me. YOU hurt my family! YOU- MMPH!" Sentinel shut him up by plucking him from the sofa by his wings and slapping a servo to his mouth.

"You will only speak when spoken to, bitlet. I am your elder. Your Prime!" he yelled into his face. Bee struggled not to cry in fear from the proximity of the red demon.

"Leave my sparkling alone!" His optics flickering to red, Megatron charged his cannon and pointed it at the Prime. The Elite Guard members responded by shooting him with their tasers, all at once. In an impressive show of strength and will, it took the combined effort of the whole Elite Guard to bring him to his knees before a final shock to his chest knocked him unconscious, twitching from the current that was still flowing into his frame.

"NO!" Scythe screamed, diving for her love. She was given the same treatment he got, but she went down faster.

Bee kicked and squirmed in his captor's grasp. "Lemme go! I want my Meggy! I want Scythe!"

In mock comfort, Sentinel cradled him to his chassis and cooed, "Don't worry young one. Your true sire is here."

Stunned at the audacity of the statement, Bee paused his struggling. "LIAR! LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LI- OW!" He squirmed in pain from his doorwings being pinched.

"Now now, child. Don't make your sire angry," Sentinel said as he oversaw the cuffing and transportation of the revolutionaries. "After all," he spoke louder, emphasizing it for the crowd to hear, "we do share a spark bond. It's just so faint because you have been stolen away from me for so long. Can't you feel it?"

"LI- ahh!" Bee was cut off again by the sudden burst of emotion in his spark. It was so cold and twisted he wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. What everyone else saw was a sparkling crying from happiness and curling up into his sire. What they registered as a warm smile was Sentinels smirk of satisfaction at his plan coming to fruition.

However, Sola and Luna, standing right in front of them, saw their actions for what they truly were. "Um, Sentinel Prime, sir?" Luna asked timidly.

"Find something else to finish the episode with," the Prime said, barely acknowledging her.

Sola, true to her somewhat fiery name - she certainly liked to think of it that way - stood up on her chair to be closer to his helm - though she fell piteously short - and commandingly said, "My Prime, alongside our studio audience we have heard the stories of these Cybertronians, and we cannot deny the truth of their words. According to them, you are the villain of their lives. If-"

"If you want to keep your show, twinette," he growled close to her audials, "you'll watch your glossa." Sola paled at the threat and grabbed her sister's servo for comfort. Luna, too, was ashen-faced.

"Take these two to the palace prison to await their trial. Don't let it be said that I am without mercy," he commanded. Luna, Sola, and Bumblebee knew better, though. Sentinel gave the crowd a picture-perfect smile and said, "I apologize for disrupting your viewing experience. However, justice waits for no one and these criminals have gone far too long without it. As for this little one, he will be under my care as I am his spark sire. Isn't that right, child?" Bee just whined in his hold. The Prime's smile became somewhat strained. "Hopefully, we will be able to cure him of any trauma he has experienced under Megatron's demonic influence." Such irony. "Have a good orn."

With that, Sentinel left the room with a shell-shocked in his arms, the Elite Guard carting the unconscious forms of Megatron and Scythe behind him, and a studio full of scared and confused Cybertronians left in his wake.


	34. Prisoner

Sentinel wasn't taking any chances with them. As soon as the palace doors closed, Sentinel snapped at the guards and told them to show their new 'guests' to their 'rooms' and give them a 'warm' welcome. They smirked gleefully and happily shoved Megatron and Scythe to the dungeons before chaining them to the walls. They took pride in beating up the chained couple, but one mech's attempt at doing what he wanted to Scythe ended up with him beat up. The guards struggled to figure out a mech chained to the wall by his wrists and ankles could strangle another mech on the other side of the cell.

The next orn, Sentinel came in holding Bee by his doorwings. Megatron and Scythe were livid and struggled at the sight of their little sparkling dangling in the Prime's servo, squeaking in fear every now and then.

"What have you done to him?!" Scythe yelled.

Sentinel mockingly cradled Bee in his arms and stroked his doorwings. "He's been cared for properly by me and my staff. Cybertron is already rejoicing at the return of my son-"

"He's not your son! He doesn't share your CNA!" Megaton yelled.

"And he's yours? At this point, Cybertron doesn't need any more reasons. Anyway, I came down here to tell you that the High Council has already decided your fate. A life sentence. Quite merciful, don't you think?"

"This is a violation of our rights!" Megatron snarled.

Sentinel leaned in close to the energy bars and spat back, "You are a piece of scrap. You have no rights." He turned to leave and snapped at his guards for this orn. "Make sure they know how pitiful they are."

The two seeker guards saluted their Prime and took their places at the sides of the cell. Sentinel walked away with Bee whining in his arms while the couple strained against their chains, near desperate to comfort him. Finally, they sagged against the wall.

They looked at the guards. Two seekers, possibly twins, one blue and gold, one green and silver. It looked like they came up to Megatron's shoulders and they were a little bulky for seekers. However, there was no doubt that they had a lot of strength and power to their blows. The couple waited for them to do something but they didn't do anything.

Scythe narrowed her optics and growled, "Well, aren't you-"

"Wait," the green one said. Taken aback by this sort of command, she fell silent. A few kliks later, he spoke again, "If you can stay quiet until nightfall, we'll get you out of here."

"You want to help us?" she asked.

"We don't think what Sentinel's doing is right," said the blue one. "He does not have Cybertron's best interests at spark. We'll tell you more later. Just keep quiet until night."

**x x x x x**

  
Cameras flashed left and right. Reporters scrambled for a comment from their Prime as they also asked the small sparkling in his lap for his view on things.

"Sir, how did you feel when your sparkling was taken from you?" one reporter managed to ask.

"I thought I'd never see him again!" Sentinel replied. It was true in a twisted, backward way. He had paid that idiot pitmaster to kill the tiny newspark, but lookie here! The same newspark he thought had been killed already.

"Sentinel Prime, sir, what do you plan to do with the botnappers?"

"Child abduction and abuse is a serious crime, one that may warrant a lifetime in prison." If only they knew, the idiots. "Added to the attacks on our cities, it might be possible to go for the death penalty." All he had to do was get the High Council on his side.

"And you, little one. How do you feel about being returned to your sire after all these vorns?"

Bee sniffled and held back a whine. "I want my Meggy!"

Sentinel discreetly dug his digits into Bee's back. His resulting squeaked was masked as a hiccup while the red mech told the crowd, "There is obviously some psychological damage from his time with the criminals. Rest assured that my heir will recover."

Without further ado, Sentinel picked up Bee and left the conference room. Once back in the safety of their quarters, the Prime threw Bee onto the berth and snarled, "I can't wait until I'm rid of you and your revolutionary comrades."

"Leave us alone! I wanna go home!" Bee cried.

"SILENCE, SCRAPLET!" Sentinel roared. Checking that the room was soundproofed, he said, "After I'm through with you, I'll simply arrange an 'accident' for your death. Perhaps you wandered into the shuttle tracks because you lost your toy there. Yes, that will do."

"Why can't you leave us alone!?"

"If Pitbull had done his job right, then we wouldn't be here right now." He chuckled, "Well, I would be here, not you."

"What do you want from us!?" Bee yelled.

Sentinel smirked and said, "Tell me, scraplet. Have you ever heard of the Matrix of Leadership?"


	35. THE Sparkling

The moment the sun dipped behind Cybertron's horizon, the two guards went into action. They unlocked the cell and freed them from their chains. As Megatron and Scythe were rubbing their wrists, the blue one whispered, "Do everything we say and don't make a noise."

Scythe pressed a digit to her lips and the two guards led the way. They slinked through the shadows, pausing whenever another guard passed by their hiding spot. Megatron almost gave them away when he heard a young scream in the distance, but the guard soon shrugged and kept walking. After waiting for a few more nanokliks to make sure he was gone, the three mechs and femme silently hurried out of the palace. Once outside, they were given light benders to clip on so they could hide in plain sight. Once they made sure there were well concealed, the couple followed the guards to an apartment complex a few blocks away.

_Knock Knock_

Pause.

_Knock Knock Knock_

The door opened to reveal a stocky mech. He took one look at the group and scowled. "Get in! Get in! Dreads, Quaker, what're you two thinking?! Do you want Sentinel to execute you for treason?"

"He's taken their sparkling," 'Dreads' said, gesturing to Megatron and Scythe.

"So? Sentinel's always been an aft. Sure, I wish I could do more, but-"

" _That_ sparkling."

Shocked, the black mech repeated, " _That_ sparkling?"

" _The_ sparkling."

Realization dawned on the ebony mech's face as he rushed out of the main room.

"May we know the names of our rescuers?" Megatron asked.

The blue guard raised his servo. "My name Dreadwing. This is my brother, Skyquake." The green mech grunted in acknowledgement.

"And I'm Ironhide. Pleasure to the meet the mech who'll hopefully shove Sentinel's ideas up his aft where they belong," he said, dumping a pile of datapads onto the table. "So, ever heard of the Matrix of Leadership?"

**x x x x x**

Bumblebee peered out of the bars of the pet carrier. He hadn't been in one of these since Pitbull died, but it seemed smaller than he remembered. Or perhaps he had just gotten bigger. 'Forget the pet carrier,' he thought, 'I just wanna get away from the red demon.'

  
Sentinel was sitting across from him in the private shuttle. He didn't know where he was taking him, but he knew it wasn't going to be good for him if the nasty smirks he was getting were any indication of, well, anything.

He felt the shuttle slow to a stop. Sentinel jerked the crate up and Bee watched as the mech's colors changed to something duller. However, he could still almost see his true colors under the electronic paint. The scenery blurred by through the crate door, but Bee saw a gaping hole in the ground ahead of them. Was the red demon going to toss him down the hole? They walked past a sign next to a staircase. Bee was able to read its words before they descended.

"Welcome to the Well of AllSparks!"

What did the AllSpark have to do with the Matrix?

**x x x x x**

"What does the Matrix have to do with anything?" Megatron asked.

  
"It's the symbol of a true Prime and Sentinel wants to get his greasy servos on it."

"And how does our little Bee come into the picture?" Scythe asked.

"Do you know who his sire is?" Dreadwing responded.

"We aren't sure. It might be Sentinel because of the faint bond, but they don't share any CNA," the gray gladiator said.

"Well, you're right on that," Ironhide commented. "We figure Primus connected your sparkling to Sentinel so he could have an excuse for his parentage."

"So you're saying that Bee's sire is..." Megatron trailed off. Skyquake nodded and finished his sentence for him.

"Primus."

**x x x x x**

  
The walk downstairs was taking forever. 'Why didn't they just make an elevator?' Bee thought before shaking his helm. No. If Sentinel was going where Bee thought he was going, he hoped they got lost.

A low growl echoed through the area. Bee stiffened and his senses sharpened. Another growl, coming from the left and getting closer.

Nevermind, Bee wanted to go faster now.

**x x x x x**

  
"Sentinel wants the Matrix of Leadership for himself. And with Bee's parentage, he thinks he can get it," Ironhide said.

"He's a Prime, isn't he? Wouldn't he already have it?" Scythe asked.

"There's a saying that 'from the dark, leaders rise to bring the light' or something similar to that," Dreading started. "Sentinel Prime brought the light during the Quintesson Occupation, but his old ways are suffocating our people. Cybertron is in need of a new leader, but Sentinel wants to prove that he is still worthy."

"And if he can get the Matrix, no one will be able to question him," Skyquake continued for him.

"He's probably on his way with your sparkling right now right now," Ironhide said.

"Then let's go," Megatron said, a determined look on his face. Scythe followed him with the same look.

Ironhide sputtered before saying, "Now?! At this hour?! When you've just escaped?!"

"No one knows we're gone yet. As long as we stay out of sight, we can get Bee and go home," Megatron said. "Besides, no one comes between me and my sparkling."

"I'll make a call home. We might need Soundwave and Dags," Scythe said.

"We'll make the call while you two go. If we're seen helping you, our careers are as good as gone," Ironhide offered.

Megatron's optics flashed to red. "Your jobs are more important than the life of my son?!" he snarled.

Unfazed, Ironhide replied, "Well, I rather like making a career out of being alive."

Optics fading back to their normal hue, Megatron nodded and reactivated the light difractors before rushing out the door with Scythe on his heels.

**x x x x x**

"Wake up, scraplet!"

  
"AHH!"

Tumbling around the interior of the pet carrier, Bumblebee was roughly shaken awake. Sentinel glared at him through the door before opening it and dumping him out. Bee rolled as he landed to lessen the force and snatched an old training knife out of his subspace, which they must've forgotten to lock. The red demon didn't need to know it wasn't sharp.

Bee jumped at the Prime and managed to dent the less-armored midsection before he was punched into the curved wall. He took one good look at his surroundings and gasped. He was at the core of Cybertron. And right there was...

"The very spark of Primus himself," the red demon chuckled as he plucked Bee up by his scruffbar. A hard squeeze of the handle had the sparkling limp in his grasp, his blade falling from his digits. "Do you know why I brought you here, bug?"

"You want the AllSpark," Bee snarled.

"Close. I want the Matrix. And you're going to get it for me."

"I thought the Maytwix was in the Sonic Canyons. Worse yet, I thought you already had it!"

"Why would Primus keep an important artifact like that in such an easily accessible place? Besides, after this orn, I will have the Matrix."

"I won't help you!" Bee screamed, struggling against his captor's hold.

"Oh, but you will! You don't want your precious caretakers to disappear during the night, do you?" A malicious smirk curved his lips.

If looks could kill, Sentinel would have a gaping hole in his chest.

"Last I checked, you don't have laser vision, runt."

Drats.

"Shouldn't you be able to do it yourself? You're a Prime!" Bee exclaimed.

"Primus has denied that which I need to rule properly-"

"Probably 'cause he knows you're an aft," Bee muttered to an imaginary audience on his left, giggling to himself afterward.

Sentinel shook him roughly, but Bee held in any noises he wanted to make. Snarling, he said, "You won't be giggling when I throw in into the core."

Bee sobered up quickly, "Dath's su-wee-ceede! Wait. Dath's moo-doo!"

"On the contrary. I don't think Primus would be willing to let his true descendant die by his servo."

It was at that moment that he truly felt it. Before, it was non-existent and muted at the same time. Now, it flowed all around him and inside of him too. He felt the cold tingly he'd recently learned to block out disappear, but it wasn't painful at all. Sentinel, though, crumpled to the floor while Bee ran over to the source of the warmth.

"Sire?"

_I've been waiting to meet you in person for a long time, my son._

"Well then, I guess it's time for the reunion!" Sentinel roared as he grabbed the sparkling by his arm and swung him in the air, preparing to toss him into the core. A small _pop_ was heard and Bee moaned in pain. Thanks to Sentinel aft, his left shoulder was dislocated again. Either he didn't hear it or he didn't care, but Sentinel was about to chuck him into the core when they heard something.

"Bumblebee!" a voice called from around the bend.

"Meggy!" Bee yelled back.

Just as Megatron and Scythe rounded the corner, Sentinel snapped his digits and a stasis field sprung up around them, trapping them in the impenetrable box. They blasted, sliced, and punched the walls to no avail before Megatron resorted to the most creative insults he could throw at Sentinel without cursing.

Sentinel just laughed darkly and said, "However you got out, it seems you're trapped again. Now you listen here, bug. If you want to see your caretakers alive when you come back, you'll bring me the Matrix of Leadership. Do you understand me?"

"Meggy!" Bumblebee whined. "Scythe!"

"DO YOU!?" the Prime roared.

Finally defeated, Bee hung his helm and nodded. Deaf to the desperate pleas of the bots behind him, Sentinel tossed the sparkling into the core, the light swallowing up the small form.

"BUMBLEBEE!"


	36. He Fired

_Previously on Little Gladiator:_

_Finally defeated, Bee hung his helm and nodded. Deaf to the desperate pleas of the bots behind him, Sentinel tossed the sparkling into the core, the light swallowing up the small form._

_"BUMBLEBEE!"_

**x x x x x**

  
The light was all around him. It covered him like a blanket from helm to pede without suffocating him and warmed him from the inside out and back again. He floated through the bright expanse, perfectly content, and...

He felt something solid. It brushed his pedes and made him giggle a little. The touch returned and dragged him in to tickle his soft abdomen. He couldn't stop laughing against the warm figure, whoever she was.

She. She was a femme, a familiar one, and when he could finally manage to open his optics, her face was familiar too. She was black and yellow with long, wavy filaments sprouting from her helm like organic hair, almost like Alpha Trion's beard, just not old and not on her face.

"Carrier?" he asked

"Yes, sweetspark?" she replied.

"Carrier!" He jumped up and buried his face in her neck, purring contentedly. The Praxian femme laughed melodically and held him tight to her.

"Oh, Bumblebee. How I wished I could've been there for you. But I couldn't ask for better guardians than the ones you have now."

Bee looked into her sky blue optics and smiled so brightly, it made the light around them look pitch black. "I missed you, carrier."

"I missed you too, sweetie. But I've always watched over you, and will always keep watching you," she said.

"Will?" Bee asked. "Aren't we in the AllSpark? Aren't we-?"

"Dead?" A deep, familiar voice came from behind them. "I come here every orn to check on my children. That doesn't mean I die every orn."

"Sire?" Bee carefully slid from his carrier's grasp to greet the regal white, gold, and blue mech with large, angelic wings protruding from his back. The mech chuckled and held Bee close to his spark. The sound of the beating orb brought more memories to the surface of Bee's mind.

He was part of someone's spark then. He didn't know whose, but he could sort of make out the conversation it was having.

"Are you sure, Primus? The Covenant says he's to be a tyrannical warmonger! He'd abuse the poor thing!" someone outside the spark said.

Primus, that was the spark he was in, replied, "Love has strange ways, Prima. It can even melt the coldest sparks."

"We should've done this to Unicron then! See if the Chaosbringer himself would fall to love!" Prima exclaimed sarcastically.

"He's ready!" A feminine voice called from a short distance away. She came closer. "I don't know why you wanted a sparkling, though. And what about a spark? Kinda defeats the purpose of new life."

"Haven't you heard, Lussie? Primus has a plan. And when Primus has a plan, Cybertron is going to be thrown for a loop," Prima told her.

"I bet it's a war, Prima. Why else?" 'Lussie' said.

Soon the piece of the spark that was Bee's broke off and took hold in a newspark's frame that felt like his own. Held by gentle servos, he was carried to a small pod and placed in its comfortable interior. The moment the pod closed, his spark left and he heard the spark of his carrier beating right next to his, nourishing him, loving him.

"Ah, so the little tyke remembers us," the same voice from the memory spoke, but it jarred him back to the present. It was the first one who spoke. The mech was bright white and had silver plating peeking out from underneath it. Ancient Cybertronian script decorated his helm. Prima Prime.

"And I remember this little cutie!" the femme from the memory was a deep, metallic rose with thick cords of wire sprouting from her helm like hair. She had thick pieces of plating to protect her from her forge work, decorated with more old script. Solus Prime.

She snatched Bee out of Primus' grasp and mashed him against her in a circuit-breaking hug. "By the stars! My best cinnamon roll! He's so cute I just wanna eat him up!"

Bee managed to squirm out and plop onto the ground, which was covered by a relatively thin layer of fog. He tilted his helm cutely.

"What's a silly-moon woll?"

**x x x x x**

Megatron's protective instincts roared to life the moment Bee disappeared into the core. His optics flared a bright red and he insulted the Prime with everything he had, curses included.

  
"YOU FRAGGING SON OF A GLITCH PIECE OF SLAGGING SCRAP! HOW FRAGGING DARE YOU HURT MY SPARKLING! HOW DARE YOU! How... How dare you! My sparkling!" Megatron slid to his knees and vented heavily. It took all of his willpower not to cry in front of the idiot outside. Scythe soothed him as she sent heated glares toward the red mech.

Sentinel mocked him for it. "Aww. Is the wittle gwadiator gonna cwy? Does he want his bwankie? Ha! You're pathetic."

Suddenly the growling increased in volume. The source was coming closer and soon it rounded the corner. Grayed and rusted corpses ambled towards them, growling and moaning with their arms outstretched as if reaching for them. They were obviously quite dead, but their optics were shining brightly. However, they were a deep violet instead of the normal blues or even the rare yellow or orange.

"Megsy, what are those things?" Scythe asked.

Megatron looked up at the undead Cybertronians. "I don't know. I've never seen anything like them."

"Idiots," Sentinel grumbled, though it didn't seem to be directed at the couple. "When I told them to dispose of the creatures, I thought they were going to melt them down for scrap metal."

Sentinel brandished his dual-bladed sword and charged the monsters with a battle cry. Each time he sliced through one, more seemed to take its place. Soon, the Prime was surrounded on all sides, struggling to keep the horde at bay.

Some of the undead corpses were banging on the walls of the stasis field. Purple veins seemed to grow on the field wherever they hit it. Megatron and Scythe moved to the center, back to back, poised to strike should the swarm break through. Stasis fields may be impossible to break through, but one could never be too careful.

Their caution paid off when the field shattered. The duo charged together and made more headway than the doomed Prime. But just like him, they were soon surrounded with hundreds more on their way.

**x x x x x**

  
"Sire, what do I do?" Bee asked Primus once the god healed his dislocated shoulder. "Sentinel wants the Matrix, Scythe and Meggy are trapped, and I don't know what to do!"

"Your caretakers are doing very well at this moment. Don't worry about them, child," Primus consoled his creation.

"What about Sentinel?"

"What about the slagger? OW, FEMME! I swear all femmes were made like you!" Nexus Prime said. He and the six other Primes there had come to see the real live sparkling in the core. Bee's carrier had disappeared some time ago, but Bee would forever cherish the fresh memories.

Nexus could've done without the fresh memory of pain in one's groin.

"Nexi, we have a sparkling here! And all femmes are descended from me. You know that!" Solus exclaimed.

"But am I wrong about that wannabe Prime?"

The rose femme grumbled, "I suppose you're right."

The Prime of combiners crossed his arms. "Justified."

Primus shook his helm as his creations descended into argument. Turning to Bee, he said, "The Matrix will remain here until it's destined holder comes forth."

"Until then, we have a few gifts for you," Prima said after he had contained the 'Justifying Cursing in Front of Sparklings' argument.

From Solus, he got a thin strip of metal that slid over the top of his audials. "Think of it like a mini version of my Creation Lathe. You can project and alter models, use it as a console, and store data on it. And only you will be able to use it."

"A Mini Lathe!" Bee exclaimed.

"Yeah," Solus said, nodding mostly to herself. "The Mini Lathe. It has a ring to it."

From Nexus, he got the ability to become a Combiner when the time was right. "That won't be for a long time though," he said.

From Amalgamous, he received a modification to his T-Cog for a third form, accessible after he got the hang of whatever vehicle mode he chose.

Together, Onyx and Quintus gave him the ability to understand all life forms. "They won't be able to understand you, but you'll be able to understand any organism, organic or mechanical." Quintus said.

"Including past species like Predacons," Onyx added. "Aye. My best creations."

"They tried to eat everyone else!" Quintus exclaimed. Unfortunately, the beastly Prime was currently lost in his beastly la la land.

Vector Prime gave him an access code to create bridges wherever he desired. "If you feel that you can not handle the equations, you can always give the code to a more capable being."

Micronus gave him a very familiar blade.

"The blade Dagger got me for my sparkorn!" Bee exclaimed. "How did you find it?"

"All the energon wells are connected to the core. It fell on Nexus as he was in recharge," Micronus chuckled. "I trained you better than to let your guard down," he reprimanded him. Nexus spluttered and huffed at this.

Prima gave him a Prime's touch. "It will allow you to use our artifacts if you should ever come across them."

"Why's it called that?" Bee asked.

"Beats us," Liege Maximo said from behind them.

"Say, Maxi. What's your gift?" Solus asked.

"Does he need anymore? He must be overpowered by now!"

"Does it make you feel better if he can't access them until his youngling frame?" she asked.

Liege Maximo grumbled and knelt down to be closer to Bee. He connected to him via a data like cable in his wrist and uploaded something into him. "Scout coding. Faster reflexes, heightened senses, stuff like that." He yanked the sparkling to him so he could whisper, "There's a war brewing, sparkling. Best be prepared for it."

The Prime stepped back and look at Bee as if admiring his work. He grunted once and walked off to do... whatever dead Primes do in the AllSpark. The Primes took their leave as well.

Primus sighed and hugged Bee tightly. "Well, I'd say it's time for you to return to your sire."

Doorwings skewed in confusion, Bee asked, "I thought you were my sire?"

Primus just smirked, "That may be, but I will never be your Meggy."

Bumblebee smiled and ran out in the direction his instincts told him was the exit.

**x x x x x**

Scythe beheaded the last corpse with her scythes and leaned on her knees. "Whew! I'm glad that's over." The moment she stood back up, a blaster fired and she gasped.

  
"I think not," Sentinel snarled.

"NO!" Megatron turned to see his lover grasping at a swiftly growing hole in her chest. Rust rapidly ate away at her frame as she fell to the ground. He rushed to her side, but the femme held up her servo for him to stop. "Scythe!"

"M-Meg-s-sy," she stuttered. "Don't touch... infect..."

All resolve gone, Megatron cried freely for the first time in centivorns. "No! Dearest, I can't lose you! I lost Bee. I can't lose you too!"

"Megsy. I love yooouuu..." Her optics faded as the rust took over her frame. Just nanokliks later, she was nothing but dust.

Sentinel stepped behind the mourning gladiator and tsked. "Oh, how the mighty fall." Deciding to make his enemy's death more painful, he switched his blaster to acid.

"No!"

Megatron could hear the sound of Bumblebee's voice already.

He aimed.

"Sire!"

Wait, it sounded real.

He fired.


	37. Sire and Son

_Previously on Little Gladiator:_

_"No!_ "

_Megatron could hear the sound of Bumblebee's voice already._

_He aimed._

_"Sire!"_

_Wait, it sounded real._

_He fired._

**x x x x x**

The moment Sentinel's blaster went off, a powerful aura swept through the chamber. Starting from the core, it swept Sentinel off his pedes and left him unconscious on the floor.

  
Megatron could care less.

The gladiator had only felt a thump on his back when Sentinel shot him. It didn't feel like he was being eaten by rust or acid, and he certainly didn't feel dead.

He felt energon touch his pedes. It wasn't his own.

When Megatron turned around, his spark nearly stopped. Bumblebee was lying spread-eagle on the ground, acid slowly eating away at his chest. His spark convulsed wildly as stray drops of acid dripped onto it. Cerulean optics closed, his vents came in ragged as his digits twitched every now and then.

"No. No, no, no, no, no, NO! Bumblebee!" Megatron cried. His servos hovered over his sparkling, but he didn't know what to do. Meanwhile, Bee's spark was growing smaller and smaller...

 _Do you love him?_ a deep voice asked.

Too hurt to care who was talking to him, Megatron replied, "More than anything!"

_Would you give him the energon from your frame?_

"Yes!"

_Would you sacrifice your life for him?_

"Yes!"

_Will you, then, open your spark to him?_

"Yes!" Megatron's chest plates parted by themselves these words.

_Then what are you waiting for? By the power invested in me as Primus himself, I now pronounce you sire and son. Bla bla bla, merge with him already!_

Megatron didn't need any more encouragement before dipping his spark down to meet Bee's. His hissed from coming into contact with the acid, but the feeling of Bee's spark next to his was worth that and more. It wasn't a deep spark merge, but he still felt Bee's emotions.

Love. Love for Primus and Scythe and everyone else back home in Kaon. Love for Orion and Jazz and the other allies they met in Iacon. Love for his deceased carrier. Love for Megatron.

Joy. Joy for getting a new caretaker all those vorns ago. Joy for meeting those new friends. Joy at meeting his biological sire. Joy at receiving gifts from the Primes, even if he wouldn't be able to access most of them for decavorns. Joy at seeing his Meggy alive.

Worry. Worry for his Meggy and Scythe back in the chamber. Worry at seeing his Meggy at gunpoint.

Pain. Pain at the death of his carrier. Pain at seeing Scythe, cold and lifeless in the chamber when he emerged from the core. Pain from taking the shot for his Meggy.

But he would do all again for Meggy, his sire.

Inundated with these emotions, Megatron's love for Bumblebee grew exponentially. The feeling rushed into Bee's spark as well, causing their love for one another to build until they were one.

Sire and son.


	38. Crystal Remains, Hissy Fits, and Tomorrow's Thoughts

He was back in the arena. Megatron stood with one pede placed on his defeated opponent, his weapon arm held high in the air. On his other side was Bumblebee, who now grown and holding his own sword in the air. Scythe was running to him with a sparkling balanced on her hip. It was a silver and blue femmeling with bright yellow optics. Surrounded by his family, the gladiator relished the feeling along with the defending roar of the crowd.

"Megatron! Megatron! Megatron!"

"Megatron!"

A voice from the real world startled him back to reality.

There was no arena. There was no Scythe. No sparkling...

Something shifted on too of him. He looked to see Bumblebee, looking as if nothing had happened, recharging peacefully over his spark.

Well, at least he had one sparkling.

"Megatron, look at me!" Hook ordered. But when Megatron turned to face him, the medic gasped.

Dagger took a look to see what had the medic so shocked. "Dude! Your optics!"

"What's so concerning about them?" Megatron asked before muttering, "And don't you dare 'dude' me."

"They're red!" Hook said.

They were right; the gladiator's optics had refused to turn back to their normal color. They were now a bright crimson and it seemed they were stuck that way.

"Come on. We haven't much time. The only reason why the Elite Guard isn't here yet is because they're a bunch of ninnies," Hook said

"Scythe," Megatron remembered. "She... She's-"

"We know," Hook replied softly. "And I can imagine that the unconscious slagger over there is the one responsible for it. If you want, we have more than adequate holding cells."

Following what Hook was saying, Megatron smirked and stood up with Bumblebee on his arms. Even separated, he could now feel his spark blazing right next to his own. He could feel the steady influx of love pouring through both sides.

Oh how loved being a sire already.

If only he had a sparkmate to share it with.

Megatron walked over to the flakes of rust that were all that remained of his lover. He took a servoful and held it up to the core. "Please. Keep her safe for me, Primus. I'll follow her in one orn, some orn," he whispered.

Her remains glowed as brightly as Crystal City at sunset as they swirled into the core. One larger piece passed through his chassis and settled into his spark.

_I love you, darling._

'I love you too, dearest.' 

**x x x x x**

  
Back in Kaon, Sentinel was thrown into one of the many unused cells under the arena. Back when Pitbull was still the pitmaster, these cells had been packed. Viruses spread like mini plagues and bots had been dying left and right. Thanks to Megatron, the place had been cleaned up a little and some had even been turned into nice rooms for others to live in.

Not that Sentinel even knew what had been going on under the arena complex. No one in the upper castes did. But now, the Prime would be getting a taste of what Kaonians used to suffer through.

He'd be getting a whole mouthful later if he would get his pede out of his intake.

"MARK MY WORDS, DECEPTISCUM! YOU'LL PAY FOR CROSSING ME! CYBERTRON WILL NEVER BOW TO YOU!"

"I don't need them to," Megatron said. Not that Sentinel was even paying attention. The gladiator just walked away while the idiot threw his hissy fit.

**x x x x x**

  
After a long orn of enduring Hook's full body examinations...

"I'm afraid those optics aren't going to change back any time soon."

Speaking to supporters...

"Leave me alone for one fragging klik! My lover just got murdered before my very optics!

Speaking to Sola and Luna about broadcasting a speech...

"Oh my Primus! Those optics!"

"Honey, you look angry."

"Then stop making me angry."

And asking Orion if they could appear before the High Council soon...

"Believe it or not, I recently asked Alpha Trion about that. Unfortunately, we have to wait for a few megacycles."

"How many?"

"Five."

"Five."

"Five."

"Feevay!"

"Yes, sweetspark. 'Feevay'."

Megatron was finally back in the safety of his quarters, Bumblebee curled up right beside him.

The gladiator thought about all that had happened ever since he had chosen to keep the little newspark. He overthrew the pitmaster. He experienced the 'joys' of being a caretaker. He became Scythe's lover. He was now the leader of a revolution.

Ha. If he kept going along this path, he'd overthrow the High Council and rule Cybertron itself.

Na. That would never happen.

That wasn't a bad idea though. The High Council was too old and lazy to realize that real action needed to be taken. They may need a forceful servo. If push came to shove, Megatron would...

He was distracted from his thoughts when Bee chirred sleepily and whispered, "Goodnight, Sire. Love you."

Megatron's spark swelled with love and he decided he could leave his thoughts for tomorrow. For now, he would enjoy every moment he had with his son.


	39. Seeing Red

Cybertronians across the globe stopped and stared at the glitching holoscreens displayed across the buildings there. They didn't know where the usual High Council public announcements or frame care ads went. Suddenly, the static cleared up to show a perfect view of Megatron. Everyone gasped at how red his optics were.

::Citizens of Cybertron. I could go on and on about freedom and equality and rights for the lower castes, but this time, I'm going to start with a recent story.

::As you all know, I was arrested on Sola and Luna.:: The bots on the street nodded to each other. The arrest had gone viral after it went on air. ::I was arrested for crimes I did not commit. I did not condone the attacks on those cities. My followers and I were not the first ones to charge the army. And I would NEVER harm my little sparkling.

::My sparkling is the reason my optics are red. I thought Sentinel - yes, your exalted Prime - had killed him. I went mad with worry about my sparkling. And then the slagger- Ack! Not you too!::

::SWORE!:: said a little voice in the background.

Megatron sighed and continued where he left off. ::He killed my lover right before my optics.:: Cybertron watched as the gladiator's voice cracked in shock. It was at that moment they realized that Megatron was just like everyone else.

::It is a miracle from Primus that my little one is still here with me. The old ways of Sentinel Prime and the High Council are holding us back from the future. We need a new leader who can show us the path to equality and the freedom to choose our destinies.

::You may have noticed that my optics are bright red. That is because I am furious.

::I see red at the unjustness of the caste system. I see red at the complacency that we have for such a skewed system. I see red at the atrocities Sentinel Prime is allowed to commit.:: Megatron's red optics flared brighter. Everyone knew he was talking about his own experiences.

::And most of all, I see red because I was complacent for so long before I decided to do something about it. But no longer. I am ready to take action. Cybertronians, do your part in facilitating this drastic, but necessary change. I will use force if needed, but energon does not need to be spilled. To those who have been labeled as Decepticons by the High Council, it is time to rally together and fight for our cause.

::Divided, we fall. United, we stand strong. Together we can end this era of unfairness and return to the true glory of the Golden Age. For Cybertron!:: Megatron yelled, raising his fist in the air.

Cybertronians across the globe cheered. It was so loud, the echo of it even managed to reach Megatron in Kaon, though that could've been the cheering that was in Kaon. The gladiator turned revolutionary looked at Orion and Bumblebee.

Orion had turned off the broadcast and was deleting any evidence of their tampering with the air and radio frequencies. Bumblebee climbed up Megatron's frame to hug his neck. The gray mech hugged him back and kissed his son's helm.

"Why are your optics still red?" Orion asked.

"You heard the broadcast, didn't you? I am angry at the unjustness of the caste system," Megatron replied.

Orion frowned. "But I doubt that you are angry all the time."

Megatron shared a smile with him and looked at his son as he replied, "Red is the color a Cybertronian's optics take on when they are protecting what they love most. I want to protect those I hold dear to me. The caste system makes that harder, so I will fight it to protect my son."

Satisfied Orion said, "I hope everything goes well when we are able to see the High Council."

Megatron clapped a rough servo on Orion's shoulder. "As do I, brother. As do I."


	40. Epilogue

Their appearance before the High Council went as badly as Megatron didn't think it would go.

First of all, since when did Orion come up with the name, 'Autobot'?

Second, he told Cybertron numerous times that he was not responsible for the attacks on Cybertron's landmarks. And he sure as Pit didn't care about the Matrix unless it was falling into the wrong hands.

And third... How dare he!

"The Matrix of Leadership is yours to seek, because from this moment forward," said Halogen in a voice that filled the Chamber even over the astonished outbursts of the gallery, "you are Optimus Prime. Unite Cybertron and all of the Cybertronians. Usher in this new era you have spoken of so eloquently."

Megatron struggled to keep a passive expression, but it only got harder.

"But I am not worthy of this."

"But he is not worthy of this, he says," Megatron spoke. "I can't believe you! What happened to stopping the oppression of the caste system? Of the High Council?!"

"Megatron, please! We should discuss this later-"

"Later? Because you have now been declared Prime, I should have to wait until later?! Cybertron needs a leader who knows what he - or she! - is doing - Primus knows a femme can get things done. Does Cybertron not call out in its hour of need and find... a data clerk?"

"Brother-"

"Brother no more!" Megatron cut him off. "How could you side with the High Council?!"

"If we are to obtain freedom from the castes, we must work with them."

"There are other ways of achieving this goal. I will not work with the group that is ignorant of the Cybertronians who work and die in the mines and in the factories and in the arena! I will not tolerate working with the group that sides with Primes! The lineage of Primes has been corrupted. Nova Prime, Sentinel Prime, I don't want you to be next."

At the time, it gratified Orion to know that his friend wasn't jealous. He just wanted to protect him from corruption.

In hindsight, Orion really should've declined the title anyway.

"I. will. not. side. with. a. Prime. _Optimus_." He spat the name out like it was acid. Spinning on the heel of his pede, Megatron stormed out of the chamber, many of the gallery following as well.

The next orn, the fighting started.

Once again, Megatron didn't initiate the first hit, but attacking the only daycare center in Kaon was a low blow, even for the Elite Guard. Megatron responded with force, attacking Fort Scyk with pitiful ease.

Starscream and his Seekers joined the Decepticons, as well as Dreadwing and Skyquake (formerly) of the Elite Guard. Hook took Knockout under his metaphorical wing as an apprentice and Breakdown (formerly) of the Wreckers followed him as his apprentice.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, much to Bee's dismay, joined the Autobots after a Con ruined the golden twin's finish while being sadistic about it. Ironhide, Jazz, and Ratchet joined them as well.

But no matter who was on what side, Megatron knew that he always had one little mech in his corner. He wasn't so little anymore now, but the leader knew that Bumblebee would stand with him.

Forever and always, his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter. Woo! I just realized there is a plot hole here. Incredibly minor and has no actual impact on the plot, but it irks me. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed this adventure! 
> 
> Part 2 will be out after I finish an Avengers/Transformers crossover someone asked for. 
> 
> Stay safe and stay happy!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it. Leave your thoughts below and I'll get back to you. 'Till next time!


End file.
